Fear Versus Faith
by lotusflowerlove6
Summary: Thalia Wayne always feared drowning in the expectations of others. When her mutation emerges, she learns that in order to keep her head above the surface, all she needs is a little faith. Takes place throughout X-Men/X2/The Last Stand/The Wolverine/Days of Future Past [OCx?] [ScottxJeanxLogan] [Pretty much all other canon pairings]
1. New Arrivals

**_A/N... This story has a bit of a Batman Begins cross-over, but in this story, it's only for background and character purposes. The main focus is with the X-Men movies, there will be some mention and cameos of characters from Batman Begins. Otherwise, it's easily overlooked._**

**_I do not own X-Men/X2/X-Men: The Last Stand/The Wolverine/X-Men: Days of Future Past or Batman Begins._**

**_I only take credit for Thalia_ Wayne and her parents.**

**_Happy reading ^.^_**

_#*#*#*_

I've always been afraid of drowning. When you have the weight of expectations and disappointments of a hundred people bearing down on you, it's hard to stay afloat. When someone looks you in the eye and all you can see is their desire to challenge you and watch you fail, you can't let them win.

Then, when you finally think you can win, your own body turns against you.

X-X-X-X

"Ms. Wayne?" I raised my head to find the concerned face of the Wayne family's butler reflected in the rearview mirror, the man who practically raised me in my family's absence. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"The preparations have already been made," I replied, turning my attention back to the window at my side. "It's too late to turn back now."

"Master Wayne will want to know."

I slouched into the soft seats of the car, "If he cares enough to ever come back." I hadn't seen my cousin since I was nine, and for the past six or seven years, I haven't even known where he's been.

"He'll come back."

The corners of my mouth twitched, "I wish I had your faith, Alfred."

"You'll build it up," Alfred assured me, his accented words taking a cheerful lilt.

"How do you know?"

"Well, for one thing, miss, you still believe that he's alive," the old man smiled. "Take a look, miss. I think we're here."

The location we arrived at seemed like any other mansion I had set eyes upon, but, of course, it wasn't the estate's stature that drew me to Winchester County.

Once we pulled up to the mansion, Alfred walked around and opened my door. Stepping out of the car, I was greeted by a small group of adults. "Miss Wayne," a man in a wheelchair approached, "I'm glad to see you've arrived."

"Professor Xavier?" I assumed. Warily, I noted the appearances of the other three behind him. Two women and one man.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I'd like you to meet your teachers. Ororo Munroe, Dr. Jean Grey, and Scott Summers."

"Nice to meet you," I acknowledged.

The red haired woman, Dr. Grey, offered to assist Alfred with the bags. I watched in awe as my duffel and backpack floated in midair and the suitcase wheeled its way towards her. She took the handle of the suitcase, and Mr. Summers caught the other two before they walked away.

"You'll find that the teachers and students also possess special gifts," Professor Xavier informed me, noticing my bewildered reaction.

"That'd be handy around the house," Alfred remarked. I spun back to face him and found that he was already standing by the car's open door. "Take care of yourself, miss."

I nodded. Bringing myself to say good-bye didn't seem to be in the cards for me. Alfred had been there for me my whole life. He's been the life raft that's kept me up all this time, and now I had to learn how to keep myself up. So, I watched the only family I've had for years drive away, granting me the chance to learn about and control what I had become.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute, Miss Wayne," Professor Xavier said, regaining my attention, "we have much to discuss."

X-X-X-X

"Hey," Kitty leaned across the desk during Storm's lesson in the greenhouse, trying to reach the girl sitting at my right. Jubilee shushed her and continued with her notes.

I tried not to laugh when Kitty rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The new girl did pretty well in keeping up with Storm's lesson, and she kept notes like the most of the class. In front of us, John Allerdyce took out his lighter and created a ball of fire from the small flame.

"Show off," I muttered. He was trying to impress the new girl, and as usual, didn't care that we were in the middle of class. Not only had he managed to gain her attention, he distracted the rest of us from the lesson.

Bobby subtly froze the fireball from his seat across the aisle, surprising John enough to drop it. I extended my hand over the ice, and it changed form to the liquid state. With a quick wave of my hand toward the potted plants, the puddle flew off, following the motion and landing in the dirt. The crash drew Storm's attention and she called his name sternly.

"Sorry," John apologized, embarrassed for being caught. I turned my attention back to the lesson, still smirking at John's scolding, and then watching while Bobby reached to our desk and left a small chunk of ice for the new girl.

After class, we introduced ourselves to the new girl. "Hi," Kitty greeted while we packed away our materials, "my name's Kitty. These guys are Jubilee, Thalia, and John. And you've already met Bobby."

"Rogue," the brunette replied. She smiled but seemed uncomfortable with all the attention. It wasn't very surprising from a new student. After all, I had been the same when I arrived months ago. Still, there was something more to the way she carried herself and practically shrank away from the others that interested me.

"If you need anything, just let us know," Kitty offered her a supportive, wide grin.

"Anything," John repeated meaningfully.

I rolled my eyes and shoved him forward, "Get out of here already. Bobby, help me out."

With one last glance at Rogue, he took John by the arm and followed the rest of the class out. "We better get going, too," Kitty stated. "It was nice meeting you, Rogue. Thalia, you coming?"

I hung back when she and Jubilee started walking away. "I have a free period," I explained, "I'll see you guys later." They waved and promised to meet up after classes.

"You didn't have to stay," Rogue said while we walked through the halls. Her heavy southern accent alerted me that she had come from out of town. Although, it wasn't surprising. Everyone at the Institute came from all over. We were a melting pot of mutants.

"It's a pretty big campus. You might need some help finding the next class."

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"We're not that bad," I told her, knowing how our group came off as, "me, Kitty, and the others."

"I didn't say…" Rogue hastily tried to object.

I laughed at her quickness, "You didn't have to."

She paused and regarded me curiously, "Are you a mind reader?"

I shook my head, "Not at all. It's just that I was the newest student not that long ago."

Rogue seemed almost relieved, "It's a lot to take in."

"You get used to it," I promised. "Kitty can be a little intense, but she's sweet. Jubilee might come off as cold, but she just likes to think. As for John, he likes to show off, and… that's about it for him." She laughed at that, and I have to admit, that made me feel a little bit successful.

"What about Bobby?"

The interest she showed in my friend had me smirking when I answered, "He's best friends with John, but ten times better. Plus, he's single."

"You sure you're not a mind reader?"

I laughed, "I'm sure. I don't have to be a mind reader to see that you're interested." It was cute the way she smiled and looked away shyly. "You have good taste. Bobby's a nice guy, and I could tell that he was definitely into you." She looked up in surprise, and I smiled at her, stopping in front of one of the classrooms. "Well, this is you. I'll see you around."

"See ya," she said and ducked into the classroom.

There was talk going around the mansion about Rogue and the man Cyclops and Storm found her with. Of course, new arrivals usually weren't so interesting, but this was the most interesting appearance since I moved in. The man who had come with her hadn't been seen yet, but we all knew he was there. Nobody knew who he was, but since he had come here, it's been assumed that he's like us.

Nobody knew much about Rogue either. It wasn't much of a surprise, though. We didn't know that much about our classmates prior to their enrollment at the Institute. Most of us were runaways, but others were invited or enrolled. I was one of the latter.

"Come in," Professor Xavier called from inside his office. As usual, I couldn't be sure whether or not he had spoken aloud or not, but either way, I let myself in. I found him situated behind his desk with an unfamiliar man across from him. "Logan, this is Thalia Wayne. She's one of the students here."

This man, Logan, struck me as someone you'd find with an axe up in the mountains somewhere. "So, you're the mystery man," I remarked. I didn't think the rumors meant that the Yeti had come to the Institute. "Welcome to the Xavier Institute."

"Hi," he mumbled shortly. His voice sounded like something akin to a growl. In fact, his entire appearance possessed a wild, animalistic sort of quality.

"Thalia, would you please show Logan to the lab?" Professor Xavier inquired, "Jean would like to finish examining him."

"No problem," I replied, eyeing the newcomer, "come with me." After we left the office, I strode to the elevator with him keeping pace behind me.

"So," he drawled, "you're a student?" The taunt in his voice wasn't lost on me.

"And you're the missing link?" I retorted with innocent curiosity in my tone. His expression turned sour, and I scoffed. "I'm young, Mr. Logan, not oblivious. I don't care if you don't want to be here, but I won't have you disrespecting the way we do things here."

My outburst seemed to have caught him off guard, but he eased right back into that unappreciative, removed attitude. He crossed his arms and shifted back in the elevator, "Are you always this friendly?"

"Rogue didn't seem to have a problem with me," I said as the elevator opened. "I like her. She's nice."

"Good to know," he huffed with more sarcasm. By the time we made it to the lab, I decided that I didn't like Logan. He was rude, full of himself, and altogether, unpleasant.

"Just in time," Jean greeted. I pulled my dark hair into a ponytail and pulled on a lab coat.

"Sorry," I apologized for my tardiness. "I had to take the long route. Oh, did you order one bushy mountain man, or is he supposed to be let back into the wild?"

"Keep it up, kid, you're hilarious," Logan scowled.

"You're going to have to take off your shirt," Jean told him.

He looked her over appreciatively, "Not a problem." I rolled my eyes and took up the controls. While Jean got the subject ready, I prepared the machines. "I'm sorry," Logan apologized suddenly, breaking the silence.

"For what?" Jean asked.

"If I hurt you." I scoffed quietly. Alright, so he was only civil to Jean. She came to help me with the machinery, correcting my mistakes and instructing me on what to do next. "So, couldn't wait to get my shirt off again, huh?"

Jean looked back at him, and I gaped at the screen. I could _not _believe he just said that to her. I take it back; civility wasn't something he could be capable of. Jean pressed a button and sent him into the x-ray without another word.

""Couldn't wait to get my shirt off again"?" I echoed once he was out of view. "He's a pig!"

Jean heaved a sigh, "Just watch the results." I did as she instructed and watched as an image of his skeleton appeared on the screen.

"What the hell…?" I trailed off, turning to my instructor in shock. She shook her head and kept her eyes glued to the x-ray.

X-X-X-X

"The metal is an alloy called adamantium," Jean reported with the images posted in front of us, "supposedly indestructible. It's been surgically grafted to his entire skeleton."

"With metal like that, he'd sink like a rock," I mused, sitting on the table between Professor Xavier and Ms. Munroe. Jean shot me a stern look, and I shrugged.

"How could he have survived a procedure like that?" Ms. Munroe questioned.

"His mutation," Jean answered. "He has uncharted regenerative capability which allows him to heal rapidly."

"It's even more efficient than my healing abilities," I continued. "His body heals almost as soon as an injury takes place. It's pretty much reflexive. Meanwhile, I have to focus solely on reconstructing the damaged cells. I'm kind of jealous."

"It also makes his age impossible to determine. He could very well be older than you, Professor," she concluded. So he's old and unpleasant. I vote we get rid of him now.

"Who did this to him?" Scott asked.

"He doesn't know, nor does he remember anything about his life before it happened."

"Experimentation on mutants," Professor Xavier spoke up, sighing heavily. "It's not unheard of, but I've never seen anything like this before."

"I can have my people at Wayne Enterprises look into it, Professor," I offered.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary, Thalia. We don't want your family's company being dragged into this after all," he vetoed.

"What do you think Magneto wants with him?" Scott questioned.

"I'm not entirely sure it's himMagneto wants," Professor Xavier answered.

"So now what?" I wondered. "We have a mutant with a metal skeleton, no memory of who he was, and a rotten attitude. I vote we send him back to whatever pound you found him from."

"Unfortunately, that can't be done," Ms. Munroe said. "We found them in Canada after Sabretooth attacked their truck."

"He'll stay here," Professor Xavier announced. "I've offered him a place at our home, Thalia. He's in need of aid just as much as any other mutant. I hope you'll treat him as such."

I sighed disappointedly, "If I have to, sir. As long as he loses that wet dog smell."

The professor smiled, "In that case someone should show Logan his room. Jean?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Professor." the red haired scientist left the room, and Storm and Cyclops did the same when they figured that the meeting was over.

I started to do the same, but Professor Xavier spoke out, "A moment, Thalia."

"Yes, Professor?" I halted.

"What did you think of Rogue?" Professor Xavier inquired.

"She's a nice girl in a bad situation," I shrugged. "Not unlike the rest of us students."

"Yes, you're quite right. She's had to suffer much because of her mutation. I'd like for you to keep an eye on her."

"You don't need to ask me to be her friend," I replied to the request. "I like her. She's nice."

"And would you do the same for Logan? Treat him like you would any other under our guidance?" the professor fixed me with a meaningful look.

In all honesty, I found Logan to be a vile, disrespectful man who didn't quite appreciate what Professor Xavier and the X-Men had done for him. I really didn't care if the professor heard any of that either. However, I couldn't say that to Professor Xavier while he maintained that unwavering, expectant gaze. I sighed and gave in, "Alright. Fine. I'll try to be nice."

"Thank you," Professor Xavier bowed his head slightly. "Now I think it's time you went to your room."

"Sure. See you tomorrow, Professor," I waved and took off.

The Institute worked like any other boarding school. Rooms fit up to four students, and despite appearances, the rooms were actually not very good with space. When I walked in, I found Rogue settling into the previously unoccupied bed next to mine. "Looks like we're roommates," I remarked.

She looked up and smiled, "Hi. Thalia, right?"

"Just Lia," I corrected. "So, how was your first day at Mutant High?"

"It was sorta different but in a good way," she said. "I liked it."

"Well, it is school," I laughed and retreated to my bed, "but it's definitely worthwhile." There weren't any places like this out there. At least not yet. Once I turned eighteen, if Bruce doesn't turn up by then, I planned to take over Wayne Enterprises and sponsor more safe learning institutions like this one. Until then, I'd learn. "Hey, I know Professor Xavier probably gave you the tour already, but I'll show you all the best places on campus tomorrow if you'd like."

"Really? That'd be nice."

"And I can show you where Bobby likes to hang out on his spare time," I squealed and avoided a pillow that came at my face. "Goodnight, Rogue."

"Night," she responded.

Not long after I drifted off to sleep. It was a plain, simple sleep without dreams or nightmares. What woke me up was the sound of the door closing. Drowsily, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I glanced around the room, finding the sleeping forms of my roommates. All, except Rogue.

I threw my blanket off and opened the door. Shit. What if something happened to her? Magneto wouldn't come to the school like this, would he? I searched the hallways, but I couldn't find her. My first thought was to go to the Professor, but suddenly, I heard a scream.

I ran in the direction of the scream, unsure if it really was Rogue, but either way, someone needed help. Doors started opening at the sound of more yelling. Yelling that sounded like somebody calling for help.

It ended up being a whole crowd of students standing outside one of the rooms. Almost the entire hallway was there, including three instructors. I looked at Bobby fearfully and then finally saw what was happening.

Rogue was _barely _touching Logan's face, but his eyes were wide with shock and pain. A strangled choke came from his gaping mouth, and I swear I saw three stab wounds on Rogue's back disappear. The second Rogue broke contact; Logan fell to the ground with spastic tremors through his body. Jean and Scott rushed to his aid, and Rogue turned around with a pained expression on her face.

She strode out of the room, and the crowd parted around her like the Red Sea. Bobby and I were the only ones who turned to look back at her when she walked away. Then we made eye contact, and in his eyes, I saw concern, shock, and fear.

I was shaking my head at him before I could stop myself and chasing after her before I knew what was going on. "Rogue!" I called out.

"No!" she screamed, "Leave me alone!" She took long, brisk steps, and I had to run to catch up with her. The second I grasped her arms, she threw me off frantically. "Stop it! Stop! Just leave me alone!"

I took her by the shoulders, careful not to touch her skin, and focused on the blood rushing through her veins. Blood. Liquid. Water. In the end, it's something I can control. Her heart was racing. She was panicked and afraid. I slowed her heart rate down to a more calm level, helping ease her body out of the frenzied state it was in. Her breathing eventually returned to normal, and she watched me with wide, frightened eyes as she sank to the ground.

"Better?" I asked, earning a nod in response. "This is what I can do," I said softly, taking off the Princeton hoodie I went to sleep in and handing it to her. With a shaky hand, she took it and slipped it over her torn nightgown, pulling the hood over her head. We sat with our backs against the wall of the hallway. "I'm a hydrokinetic. My powers let me control anything with water in it. I can turn a block of ice into water, turn a puddle of water into a steak knife, rebuild damaged cells after an injury, slow a person's heart rate when they're panicked, cause a stroke…"

Finally, Rogue looked to me with puffy eyes and a tear stained face. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to," she repeated the words like a mantra.

I put my arm around her and drew her to me, careful not to touch her, "Shh. It's okay. It'll be okay."

I couldn't go to sleep that night. Once Rogue passed out, I used my powers to bring her back to our room. The other girls were still sleeping, and I ended up sitting in bed thinking about the new arrivals and what had happened… to them… to me.

My life changed when I wandered into the Narrows in Gotham that day. I became someone with the power to destroy but also the power to save. Looking at Rogue in her trembling state, I remembered how I had been after those men collapsed onto the concrete. I ran. I had run as fast and far as I possibly could. The one to find me had been Alfred.

Alfred, who had gone in search of me when I hadn't come home and didn't even have Cerebro to help him. In every way, Alfred had been my lifesaver. Whenever I was alone, I had Alfred to turn to.

I wondered, who did Rogue have?

I went so far as to wonder who Logan had.

And Bobby, Kitty, Jubilee, even John.

The Institute took in everyone in need of someone to turn to. New arrivals were always welcome here no matter how alone our mutations made us feel. Despite the horrors of their past, Professor Xavier believed in helping us find our way. It was a means of protecting us against drowning.

**_A/N... This is an idea that's been floating around in my head for a while. I hope everyone's okay with the slight cross-over aspect. If you think I need to change it to a cross-over, just let me know. Feedback helps, thanks a lot. _**

**_Happy Reading ^.^_**


	2. Friends and Failure

The school was buzzing with stories about the previous night. First, in the girls' bathroom I heard people talking about it. Then, in the hallways I heard about it. I had finally had enough by the time I was having breakfast.

"Would everyone just shut up?" I snapped, interrupting one of Kitty's friends who was talking about the incident involving Rogue and Logan. "This happens all the time, so just leave it alone."

"It's not everyday that a new student sends a big guy like that into a seizure," she countered. Her glass of orange juice was churning around dangerously in her glass. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stop the impending gush of OJ to her face or not.

"Hey, you know, I wouldn't mind if a pretty girl like her put me into a…" John was saying. At that moment, the glass of orange juice exploded and the entire room seemed to fall silent.

I shot to my feet, "I swear to God, if anyone says one more thing about last night, they will wake up tomorrow with their feet up their ass." With that I stormed out and the room broke out into muttering.

"Lia!" I heard my name called but kept walking with my head down. "Hey! Come on, it was just a joke."

I spun around and came face to face with John Allerdyce. "My God, John, that wasn't funny! Did you ever stop to think about what making jokes can do to her reputation at a time like this? People are already saying enough things about her!"

"That isn't my fault," he insisted. "You can't expect people not to talk after something like that happens."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "Have you seen her at all?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Rogue," I elaborated irritably. "Have you seen her?"

"No, not since class yesterday," he answered.

"Great," I muttered and walked away. She could be anywhere on the campus. I had to go find her before someone like John went and said something stupid.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get away from him. "Hey, where are you going?" he followed.

"None of your business," I shot back. I had to get help finding her. There was no way I would find her on my own on a campus this big, and with everyone being the way they were at the moment, my options were limited.

A hand around my elbow holding me back disrupted my march. I spun around and glared at the pyrokinetic. "Let go," I ordered.

"You know, despite what you think of me, I actually want to help," he snapped. I met his eyes and, to my surprise, found sincerity and determination.

I pulled my arm from his grip and regarded him uncertainly. "Okay?" I stretched out the word.

"Okay," he echoed, the anger and irritation fading from his gaze.

"I'm going to find Bobby. There's no way I can find her on my own," I admitted.

"He's probably still in the room. I think he had trouble getting to sleep last night. You go check there, and I'll tell one of the teachers."

"Okay?" I repeated in the same drawn out way as before. It was weird. Ever since I met John, he had been a pain in my side always showing off, making a scene, and being obnoxious. Yet, here he was, offering to help me find someone I had come to consider my friend in such a short period of time.

"Okay. Now hurry up or he'll be gone by the time you get there."

At a loss for words I began running to the room they shared and cast a look back at him. That was bizarre. That was more than bizarre. That was plain impossible.

Nevermind. I had to cast those thoughts away before I reached the boys' room.

I knocked on the door as soon as I arrived, "Bobby! Hey, are you in there? Bobby, it's about Rogue."

The door opened and revealed a newly dressed Bobby Drake who seemed concerned. "What happened?"

"I haven't seen her all day," I told him. "I must have fallen asleep last night, and when I woke up she was gone. John hasn't seen her either, and after what happened, I'm scared that someone's going to do something stupid."

"Wait, slow down. Have you told the teachers?" he asked walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"John went to do that," I informed him.

"Alright, I'll look around the mansion. You go and see if she's somewhere on the grounds," Bobby instructed.

"Thanks, Bobby," I said gratefully. We took off in two different directions.

As I kept looking, I grew more and more concerned. Rogue wasn't anywhere I searched. I looked by the basketball court, the quad, in the forested areas, and everywhere else I could think of. I hoped that the boys were having better luck than me.

_Thalia, come down to Cerebro now, please. It's an emergency, _Professor Xavier's voice rang out as if he had been standing right in front of me.

A cold feeling of dread washed over me, and I sprinted back to the school.

Professor Xavier confirmed my worst suspicions. Rogue was gone and nobody knew what had happened to her. Logan followed Professor Xavier into the room when the heavy, metal door slid open, and the rest of us waited outside.

"Are you alright?" Jean asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," I assured her. "Magneto has her, doesn't he?" My hand balled into a fist in a feeble attempt to stop it from trembling.

"Don't worry," Scott said soothingly, "the professor's going to find her. It'll be okay."

Right. That's what I told Rogue the other night. If anything happened to her, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I barely felt Jean put her arm around me and hold me close to her.

Logan rejoined us, and the door slid shut again. I took deep, steady breaths in an effort to calm myself. I'd do no good to anyone as a mess of nerves.

"Have you ever…?" Logan asked, trailing off and jerking his head in the direction of the door.

"Used Cerebro?" Jean completed. "No. It takes a degree of control, and, uhm, for someone like me, it's…"

"Dangerous," Scott supplied when Jean couldn't finish. I put my arm around her waist, hoping that she'd find it as supportive as her presence was to me.

It felt like hours had passed when Professor Xavier finally emerged. "She's at the train station," he reported.

"Where is it?" Logan asked almost immediately.

"A few miles west of here," he replied. Logan started walking off, but Professor Xavier called out sharply, "Logan, you can't leave the mansion. It's just the opportunity Magneto needs."

"Listen," Logan said in a surprisingly firm voice that softened as he continued, "I'm the reason she took off."

"We had a deal," Professor Xavier reminded him. A deal I didn't know about, but I let that slide. The important part was finding Rogue.

"She's alright," Ms. Munroe stated with a shrug. "She's just upset."

"No way," I protested. "People don't run away if they're "just upset"."

Professor Xavier gave his orders, "Storm, Cyclops, find her see if you can talk to her." The two of them walked off, the sound of footsteps echoing through the underground hallways.

The professor dismissed us, and I took it upon myself to beat Scott and Storm to the garage. Unsurprisingly, I found Logan mounting Scott's motorcycle. "What're you doing here, kid?"

"What do you think?" I retorted. "I'm going with you."

"Not happening," he said shortly.

"You're not supposed to leave the Institute," I reminded him.

"Are you gonna tell on me?"

He gave me one of those looks. The kind that was meant as a challenge. "No," I replied. "I can't tell if you take me with you."

"This is wasting time," Logan stressed. "You're staying here."

"Then at least do me one thing," I said quickly.

"What?" he grunted.

"Promise me that you'll let her know we care about her here."

He regarded me guardedly, like he wasn't quite sure of what I had requested. Still, he nodded, "I promise." Then he drove away on the bike. I turned off the lights and left the garage.

X-X-X-X

I sat curled up on a chair in the lounge where the students usually hung out. I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone, but one person did approach me. "Hey," for the second time in one day, John Allerdyce actually wasn't bothering me.

"Hi," I replied dully.

The couch cushions sank as he sat down. "You know, you're really freaking everyone out," he said in a hushed voice.

"If they can't handle some glass breaking, they won't be able to handle it out there."

"Well, yeah, there's that, but you look like someone just died. My condolences."

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"Most things," his mouth turned up in a quick smile, "but not everything. Okay, get up." He rose off the couch and looked at me expectantly.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. It was normal for John to do something like set my essays on fire and then putting it out before any damage was done or make some wise comment about something I said, but for him to stand there and treat me like a friend was completely new.

"Just get up already," he prompted irritably. Hesitantly, I did, and he took me by the hand and led me away from the lounge. I followed him blindly, slightly suspicious that he would try to kill me and dump my body in a linen closet. It turned out that his destination was the Institute's kitchen.

"So, is the plan to kill me here and bury out in the yard?" I questioned with exaggerated wariness.

He rolled his eyes and opened the freezer, "The plan is to get you to relax." He dropped a tub of ice cream on the island and moved to get spoons and bowls.

"With ice cream?" I asked skeptically.

"Did you want something stronger?" he shot back with an eyebrow raised.

"Point taken," I muttered and opened the tub. "So, why are you doing all this?"

"All what?" he asked ignorantly, filling the two bowls with chocolate ice cream.

"Going out of your way to be nice to me," I explained.

"Maybe I just don't want you to think I'm a complete asshole," he suggested, sliding one of the bowls over to me.

"Why would you want that?" I asked.

He shook his head and pursed his lips, "Don't know."

"Thanks." John didn't respond. Instead he leaned back against the counter and poked at his serving with the spoon. I had to admit; maybe he really wasn't a complete jerk. I actually did appreciate all the trouble he was going through to make me feel better. Even if he never admitted it, I knew that's what he was trying to do.

"So, what's your story?" he asked.

"My story?" I laughed, thinking it was an odd place to start a conversation. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Really?" he asked skeptically, "I control _fire_. It can't be that hard to believe." I just shook my head and ate my ice cream. "Fine, I'll start. I was born in Australia, but my parents moved here before I could walk. I couldn't stand them, and when I started doing things with my powers, that was it for me. I ran away and ended up here."

"Okay," I nodded, lowering my bowl. "My mom died when I was a baby, and my dad was arrested when I was four for extortion and stealing from the company. Since then, I lived with my cousin and the family butler. Then, my cousin went to college, and it was just me and Alfred at the house. He came back once, when I was nine, and I haven't seen or heard from him since. A few months ago, I had to go to some meeting about stupid, _stupid _legal things, and I got mad. So I walked out, and I ended up in a really bad part of town. Some guys cornered me, and I panicked. It was the first time I ever used my powers."

My story seemed like more than John had expected, but nevertheless, he didn't fail to make a stupid comment, "So, what? Are you some kind of princess or something?"

"Something like that," I scoffed.

The door flew open, and Jubilee peeked her head in, "Lia, the Professor's back with that other guy."

"Thanks," I said to her. She looked from me to John confusedly and then departed.

"I should go see if they found Rogue," I said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Hey, this was nice," I told John before I walked out the door, "we should do this again sometime."

"Yeah," he agreed with more enthusiasm than before. I sent a smile back at him.

_Thalia, _Professor Xavier's voice spoke while I strode through the halls, _come down, please. _

I redirected to go down to the lower labs, hoping that they had Rogue with them. What I found, though, wasn't what I wanted to find. I found Professor Xavier and Jean in the room where Jean had presented Logan's results. "Professor," I called out, approaching them, "did you find her? Is she okay?"

"Thalia," Professor Xavier said softly, "she isn't here. I'm sorry."

I turned my attention to Jean and then back to the professor, "So, what's going on?"

"These are the results of Senator Robert Kelly's tests," Jean said, handing me some papers. I scanned through them and then looked up at the two scientists with disbelief. This couldn't have been right.

"He's a mutant," I stated. "That's mutant DNA."

"Indeed," Professor Xavier confirmed.

"I'm sorry, am I missing something?" I asked them incredulously.

"Come on," Jean said instead of answering and placed her hand on my back, steering me into the lab where we had conducted our testing on Logan.

A man laid on the metal table with a cloth pulled halfway up his chest. I didn't recognize him, but the professor did. "Senator Kelly, I'm Professor Charles Xavier." I stood at a lab table to review the results while Jean and the professor remained by Senator Kelly.

The tests didn't lie. Senator Kelly, one of the most ardent supporters of the anti-mutant movement, had become a mutant. I would have believed that he had hidden his mutation while advocating against his kind, but his mutation had only recently appeared. Naturally, mutations emerge near puberty. This guy… well, he was no high school quarterback.

"I was afraid that if I went to a hospital," Senator Kelly breathed heavily, "they… they would…"

"Treat you like a mutant," Professor Xavier supplied knowingly. "We're not what you think. Not all of us."

"Tell it to the ones who did this to me," Senator Kelly managed to speak steadily when he said _that_. He _would_ manage to still generalize mutantkind as the bad guys while lying on one of our hospital beds. Why am I not surprised?

"Senator," Professor Xavier rolled around to sit behind the senator's head, "I want you to try and relax." The professor did his thing and lowered his head to Senator Kelly's. When he looked up again, pure shock occupied his features. "Storm, Thalia," Professor Xavier spoke up, "stay here. The rest of you, come with me."

I watched as Jean, Scott, and Logan followed the professor out of the lab. I took Jean's place next to Senator Kelly's side and closed my eyes. My powers affected water on a molecular level, and because of that, I could see exactly what was happening to him as if I was looking through a microscope. What I saw horrified me.

The nuclei of the cells were rejecting the new X-gene. The cells themselves were disrupting formation of new cells to exterminate the mutation. The X-gene affects every cell in the body, and every cell was rejecting it.

My eyes flew open, and I grabbed the papers that Jean had left me. "Thalia, are you alright?" Ororo asked with concern as I spread out the sheets on the table in front of her.

"No, no. His body's rejecting the mutation. His cells are breaking down as soon as they detect the new gene. If this keeps up at the rate it's going at, he's going to die." There was no way to come up with an antidote to simply stabilize the cells. I'd have to create something to completely get rid of the presence of the mutation.

"How do we stop it?"

I shook my head and read over everything in Jean's results, "I don't know."

"Is somebody there?" Senator Kelly called out weakly. Storm and I looked at each other and walked to the table. His veins had turned dark and stood out prominently against his skin, and the table was sopping with water that had exited his body.

"Yes," she said evenly, "we're here."

"Senator, my name is Thalia Wayne," I said, pulling up a stool on his side opposite of Ms. Munroe. "I'm going to try to stabilize your condition. Please, bear with me." I laid my hand on his sweat-drenched arm and closed my eyes.

Every cell, every water molecule, was in my mind. I could feel everything, and I had to work through every single one in the human body. It was a risk, and if the mutation didn't kill him, this very well could.

"Please don't leave me," he requested, taking hold of Storm's hand. "I don't want to be alone."

"Alright," I heard her response as if my head was submerged underwater. His body was leaking water from every pore. The membrane of his cells was breaking apart, and I repaired what I could. The restoration was difficult on its own, but in addition, I had to try to speed up the cellular reproduction process to replace what he kept losing.

"Do you hate normal people?"

"Sometimes." It wasn't working. I couldn't keep up.

"Why?"

"I suppose, I'm afraid of them."

"Well, I think you've got one less person to… to be afraid of."

"Storm," I started to feel like I was sinking. One second, I'm holding everything together, and the next, it's all snapping apart like a chain of rubber bands holding up a ten pound weight. "Storm, I can't hold him. It's not working."

I gave up on trying to mend and started focusing on keeping him in some kind of solid state. I heard him gurgle as water flooded his throat, and his body turned to some sort of semi-liquid substance. "I can't hold on!" I screamed. Finally, I had to let go. His body, or what was left of his body, broke like a water balloon and water spilled onto every surface.

I swallowed thickly and forced myself to breathe. "Come on," Storm said gently, easing me off the stool and drawing me out of the room.

I was tired. I was so tired. I felt like I would collapse if my legs would stop running. I couldn't tell if it was sweat on my face or tears. The rest of my body was trembling. I was sinking.

"Senator Kelly is dead," Ororo reported, and I choked at the words. I wasn't mourning him. That was probably the last thing I was doing. I hadn't been able to save him. I might have even been the one to kill him. Maybe I had done something while I was in there, and that's what triggered his death.

"Lia," Jean's voice was saturated with sympathy, and I felt her wrap her arms around me. I took shaky breaths as she stroked my hair and held me against her.

"I'm going to find her," the professor vowed. "Settle this."

X-X-X-X

Jean brought me back to my room when the professor went to find Rogue. I was a mess of nerves and tears. She stayed with me until I could pull myself together. I sat on my bed with my knees drawn up to my chin, and she sat on the edge of the bed watching me with concern.

"Magneto can't hurt her," the words were out of my mouth before I even managed to start thinking.

"He won't," Jean assured me, gently pushing my hair out of my face. "Get some rest."

"No," I shot forward and grabbed her arm as she moved. "Jean, promise me that when the professor finds her, you'll make sure that I can go."

"Lia," she said meaningfully, "you're exhausted."

"No," I protested, "I'm angry. Rogue's my friend, and those people at the summit are innocents. There's no way in hell I'm letting that son of a bitch get away with this."

"I understand, but there's no way I'm letting you out of here in the state you're in now. We'll bring her home," Jean assured me, her warm, chocolate colored eyes bearing into mine, "I promise. You did your best, Lia."

Wordlessly, I nodded, and Jean turned off the lights before she left the room. I had to leave it to them now. No matter how badly I wanted to help, Jean was right. I wouldn't be much help if I could barely get out of bed. All that I could do was recover. I just needed to have some faith.

I closed my eyes and lay in bed. The fatigue was overwhelming, so I let myself drown in it. Sleep came to me quickly that night.

X-X-X-X

Having some faith paid off.

The day Rogue came back, I had walked into breakfast, and John stood up and called out, "Hey, Princess! Look who's back!" My gaze drifted from the loud pyrokinetic to the girl sitting between him and Bobby. A grin broke across my face, and I practically launched myself at the table. I took note of the shock of white hair framing her face that hadn't been there before, but other than that, she appeared unchanged.

Rogue seemed to be getting back into things easily, and within a few days, it was as if nothing had even happened. The teachers were watching the news in the living room while Rogue, Bobby and I sat around one of the coffee tables.

"Hey, Bobby," John approached, holding up a small sphere and tossing it at him. "I was promised a rematch at foosball."

"You're on," Bobby caught it and accepted with a grin. "You girls coming?"

"Can't it wait?" I groaned.

"Victory doesn't wait, Princess," John said, pulling me after him.

I laughed and looked back at Rogue, "Hey, you're not leaving me alone with these two, are you?"

She smiled and stood up, "No way."

"Alright, rules," John started.

"You don't need rules for foosball," I scoffed.

"Rules," John overruled me, and I rolled my eyes at Rogue, who smiled and took place next to Bobby. "No powers."

"Deal. Alright, I want to see a good, clean game," I said before popping the ball onto the table. It was more fun than I've had in days. I caught the glances she and Bobby sent to each other while we played. "John, move over," I complained when he bumped my side with his repeatedly.

"It's not my fault you take up so much space," he shot back with a smirk. We kept playing until Rogue looked up. I followed her gaze over my shoulder and found that Logan was walking past with a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Rogue said to Bobby. Without questioning it, he took over for her and kept playing.

"So, when're you going to ask her out?" I asked once we were up by a few points.

Bobby started, and we scored another point on him. He glared at me, "That's cheating."

"That's smart," John corrected.

"Well?" I prompted.

"We're getting lunch later," Bobby admitted under his breath. "Why don't you two come with us?"

I blocked off a shot to the goal and grinned up at him, "Thought you could distract me?"

"Worth a try," he shrugged. "Two against one isn't fair."

"I'll go get her," I said to the two of them and left before John could protest. When I looked around the door, I found Rogue standing in the foyer by herself. "Hey, Bobby's getting his ass kicked."

"So you left John by himself?" Rogue returned teasingly.

I rolled my eyes and passed her in the hall, "Don't keep him waiting, Rogue."

"Okay," she smiled and headed back in, "you coming?"

"In a minute," I replied and walked out the door. Once I was outside, I broke into a run to the garage. I passed the fountain and found him there. "Hey!"

"Shouldn't you get back to your friends?" Logan asked, slowly turning around to face me.

"I wanted to say thank you," I admitted. "Jean told me what you did for Rogue."

"You don't have to thank me," he said roughly.

"And I wanted to apologize. I had the wrong idea about you," I said, extending my hand to him.

He glanced down at my hand before grasping it in his own, "See you around, kid." I nodded and walked away, returning to my friends and the new life the Institute offered.

_**A/N... The first movie doesn't really give the younger students much screen time, but there will be more. Any thoughts and reactions would be very appreciated ^.^ **_

_**I'm still not sure if I should change the category of this story from a regular to a crossover, but there really isn't too much crossing over. **_

_**Thanks for reading. Happy fanfictioning ^.^ **_


	3. Role Models and Revelations

Not long after Logan's departure, I took a short trip home to reunite with my long-lost cousin. The experience proved to be very fulfilling. When I returned, plans for a new branch in the company were being developed and put into effect, and I wasn't afraid of drowning. I had realized that the only way to honor my mother's memory and family name was to stand up for who and what I was.

"You're smiling again," Jean looked up from her workstation. "John?"

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks at her guess, "No. I was thinking about my mom."

"She's a good role model," Jean remarked.

"You knew her?" I asked in surprise. I knew that she had ties to the mutant community, but I wasn't sure if she and Jean had been acquainted.

"No," she joined me at my station, "but I've heard about her from the professor."

"She was very open to people like us. There's going to be a genetics department in the company. The Alice Wayne Genetics Department, and it's going to focus on researching the mutant gene."

Jean's grin radiated excitement, "Lia, that's great."

I nodded. It really was great. It was an achievement to have a company like Wayne Enterprises on our side while so many others weren't. "I want to go public," I told her.

Her grin faded, replaced with concern shown in furrowed brows, "Are you sure?"

"There isn't much I can do hiding like this. I want to fight, Jean." After Rogue's abduction, I wanted more than ever to get in on the action.

"You will," she assured me, "one day. When you're ready."

"Exactly," I stressed. "I won't be able to stand on the front lines with you and Scott and Ororo until you and Professor Xavier say I'm ready, but I can't wait that long. I want to do something to help. We can't change the world in the dead of night. I have a name, and I'm going to use it. I've gotta get out there."

She regarded me intently. Her eyes searched mine for any sign of reluctance or reconsideration. She wouldn't find any. It was a decision I planned to stick with until the end. "If you're absolutely sure," she said slowly, "I'll talk to the professor about it."

I couldn't hold back an excited squeal and threw my arms around her gleefully, "Thank you so much! You're the absolute best." I let my grip slacken and pulled away, "I have to tell John."

"Wait," she called after me, "we still have to finish analyzing this data!"

"I'll be right back," I promised. I would be, but first, I had to tell John the good news. Unsurprisingly, I found him in his and Peter's room.

He smirked at my bubbling excitement and leaned against the doorframe, "You're in a good mood."

"What would you say if I told you I'm thinking about going public?"

"Princess, I'd say everyone here already knows about us."

I rolled my eyes, "That's not what I'm talking about."

He chuckled and took my hands, leading me into the room, "So, what'd you say about going public?"

"Jean's going to talk to the professor about it," I made known before launching into my plan. "I'm sick of doing nothing. If I get out there, I could help."

"How do you know people are gonna listen?" John asked reasonably.

"Have some faith, John. Who wouldn't listen to a girl whose century old mansion burned up?"

"Good point."

I grinned and looked down at our still interlocked fingers, "I should get back to the lab. I promised Jean."

He groaned and stepped in, bringing the space between us to an inch. "You're always in the lab," he complained.

"We're still hanging out with Rogue and Bobby later, right?" I asked amusedly.

"I don't see why we have to."

"Friends double date, John," I pointed out. "It's what normal kids do."

"We're not normal," he retorted.

"We're not abnormal," I shot back playfully.

X-X-X-X

We played Pictionary. The four of us sat in the living room and played Pictionary. It wasn't ordinary, though. Why draw when you can sculpt? Whenever our turns came around, the word would come to life in water, fire, or ice.

"This is _not_ fair," Rogue complained, as she tried scribbling a picture onto the sketchpad.

"It's just like drawing," Bobby assured her.

"Only cooler," John quipped, flicking open his lighter.

"I didn't ask you," Rogue sneered at him.

"It's a bookshelf," Bobby announced, looking at the picture. Rogue shook her head.

"It's an unwound double helix." I received confused and slightly judgmental looks from my friends.

"Too much time in the lab," John stated, shaking his head. "It's a ladder."

"Right," she confirmed. "And that was one of the easier ones."

"Hey, so what was it you were so excited about earlier?" Bobby asked. He must have seen me when I was heading back to the lab earlier.

"I'm going back to the social scene – powers and all," I told them cheerfully.

"Really?"

"Lia, that's great!" Rogue exclaimed.

"Seashell," I stated when John's light took shape. "I figured that it was time to get out there."

"Right down to every ridge," he confirmed proudly, closing his hand and extinguishing the image.

I picked up a card and almost laughed outright when I read it. Uncapping the water bottle, I let its contents spill out and gather midair into a shape.

"What about the company?" Bobby asked. "I thought you were worried about the press affecting business."

"The company will be fine," I wasn't actually so sure, but I hoped it would be. "I care more about how the press will affect the public. We need more people out on the scene like that. Public supporters, you know?'"

"Bird," Rogue guessed incorrectly while the water kept taking shape.

"You're doing the right thing," John assured me. I beamed at him, pleased at the approval. Finally, the water stopped changing shape.

"Bat," Bobby stated. We finished a couple more rounds of the game. All talk of showing myself to the world ended. It was a sore subject for some kids. Bobby still hadn't told his parents, and Rogue and John didn't plan on ever seeing theirs again. Revealing my mutation to my family back home had given me some much needed confidence.

Eventually, playing games grew boring. I stole Rogue away from Bobby, and we took to our room for the night.

"You and Bobby were getting comfortable," I teased, pulling my Princeton hoodie over my head.

"Well, can't get too comfortable," she pointed out jadedly.

"You'll figure it out," I assured her. Rogue's whole no touching problem called for some concern, but maybe, with time, she could find a way around it. One day, everything would work out for her. She deserved it. Everyone in the Institute did.

X-X-X-X

The bell rang, and class ended. We packed our books away, but before I could leave with the rest of the class, Professor Xavier stopped me, "Thalia, a moment."

"Is this about my report?" I asked. "I gave it to Jean before I left for Gotham, but if I need to fix…"

"Actually, this is about revealing yourself to the public," he informed me. "This is a very serious matter, Thalia. You understand that exposing the truth would make you a target. You, Bruce, and your family's company would receive the attention you wanted to avoid in the first place."

"Professor, I think we lost that luxury when Bruce bought one of the most extravagant hotels in Gotham and set our house on fire," I pointed out. "Being a Wayne means taking up a legacy left behind by great people. People like my mom and Uncle Tom. I haven't been doing what they would have wanted. I want to help people, and for now, this is all I can do."

The professor regarded me quietly for a moment before smiling proudly, "You remind me so much of your mother. Alice would be very proud."

"Thanks, Professor." In my mind, it was the highest praise.

X-X-X-X

"Our next guest comes from a family of outstanding individuals who have achieved everything from freeing the slaves to bringing a city back on its feet. She is the youngest member of the esteemed Wayne family and cousin of prodigal billionaire, Bruce Wayne. You know her as Gotham's Sweetheart, please welcome, Thalia Wayne."

It was an introduction that built up a family history blanketed in heroism, success, pride, and disgrace. I smiled and crossed the stage, hugging the hostess of the show before taking my seat in front of the audience.

"Thanks for having me, Maya," I kept up the smile and exuded as much charm as I could.

"Thank _you _for coming," she returned enthusiastically. "I was so excited when I heard you'd be coming. You've been away at school for the past few months, right?"

"That's right," I nodded.

"So, you were there when you heard about your cousin's return?" the brightly dressed woman questioned.

"I got a call after classes, and it was definitely a surprise." Not what I would call a pleasant surprise, but it definitely wasn't a terrible one. In the end, I was just glad to have him back.

She nodded in understanding, "I can believe it. Seven years is certainly a long time away from home. It must have been very hard for you."

"I'm just happy he's home," I told them truthfully. "Actually, Maya, I'd like to say something about myself, if you don't mind?" Here we go.

She seemed surprised but even more excited to hear what I had to say. "Of course, go ahead," she allowed invitingly.

"People like Thomas and Alice Wayne leave large shoes to fill. I never knew my mom or uncle, but I've always looked up to them. They're the heroes I grew up with, and everything I've done has always been to preserve their memory."

"They were two very amazing people," she noted approvingly. "Neither one of them ever put themselves above helping the people around them."

"I used to be so scared of not living up to their memory," I admitted. "I thought that the best that I could do was protect their name, but recently, I realized that they wouldn't have wanted that. They worked so hard to build a bright future for everyone. It wasn't their name I should have protected, it was their dream."

"And you're here now to protect their dream?" Maya questioned.

"I am," I confirmed. "My mom was a scientist. She wanted her research to go toward building that bright future. The research she dedicated her life to was the mutant phenomenon. She met with them, made friends with them, and learned about the world from their point of view."

There were whispers among the crowd. People gasped. Some looked disgusted, others looked surprised, and still, others held respect.

"Mutants?" the woman hosting questioned plainly. Possibly, she wasn't sure if she had heard me right.

"She wanted a world where mutants and humans could live together in peace," I stated, receiving protests from some in the crowd.

"Everybody settle down," Maya motioned for the crowd to calm, before turning to me with a small, inviting smile.

"My family has a history of standing up when the people need to be spoken for the most. So, here I am, speaking for mutants because equality always needs a voice and because I've been a mutant for almost a year."

The reactions were almost the same as when I revealed the nature of my mother's research, but outrage showed much more evidently than before. Security guards doubled on set, but they hadn't removed me from the scene.

Although, I'm sure they were willing.

"That's not what I was expecting," Maya admitted. "What… what exactly can you… uh, do?" She struggled to construct a sentence, and her confident appearance faltered momentarily. Yet, she managed to keep the show going.

"My mutation allows me to interact with water on a molecular level. I can change its form, redirect its flow, and heal injuries. Doing any of these things can be exhausting depending on how much water there is and how much focus I need to exert."

"And, is your cousin a mutant too?"

"No," I replied honestly. "Bruce is a lot of things – annoying, stubborn, bad at Candy Land, the best cousin a girl could ever ask for – but he's not a mutant. I'm the only one in the Wayne family."

"It must've been quite a surprise for him coming home," she mused, getting back into the flow of the interview.

I smiled at the memory of our revelations to each other. Surprises seemed to happen a lot in our family. "I don't want Bruce to have any trouble from anyone because of me," I said earnestly. "Mutants are people, and everyone deserves a chance to be themselves. We have as much a right to be proud of who we are as anyone else. I know the idea of us scares humans, but we're scared, too. The truth is, fear's the only thing keeping humans and mutants apart. I believe that we can build the future Mom and Uncle Tom wanted for everyone. We just need to have a little faith in each other." I turned to Maya, ignoring the outbursts from the crowd, and offered her a smile, "Thanks for having me."

X-X-X-X

My identity as a mutant spread rapidly, and I returned on several shows to speak. Some would listen, but most would try to trap me in webs of trick questions. Anything I said would harm my image and mine alone. I ensured that nothing I said would harm mutantkind or Bruce and the company.

Unfortunately, Bruce received several notices from Wayne Enterprise business partners who refused to work in association with a known mutant. He promised me that it was no loss. Overall, we had succeeded in transforming the company into a business for both mutants and humans.

Eventually, the talk died down, and I became old news.

Still, it was another step to the future my family wanted.

**_A/N... I thought that it'd be interesting to see what happens between movies, especially since there wasn't much screen time in the last movie. What'd you think? Thoughts and reactions are greatly appreciated ^.^_**

**_Hope you all enjoyed, happy reading ^.^_**

**_To Hayden and FloraTheCake, thank you so much for your support! Sometimes I get a little anxious when I don't hear from readers, so your reviews definitely brightened me up ^.^_**

**_To FloraTheCake, in regards to the Batman aspect of the story, I'll eventually upload a separate story focusing on moments set during the Nolanverse movies accessible through my profile. For now, I hope cameo appearances and mentions of the DC characters are acceptable ^.^ _**


	4. Nightmares

**_A/N... Really, what are the chances that anyone here owns any of these movies? I don't own X2 or Batman Begins_**

The school's trip to the museum was supposed to be educational. Unfortunately, history wasn't my strong suit. I had never liked it, and I had no plan to… ever. The kids loved it, but it wasn't all that much fun. So, John decided to make his own fun.

"My brother asked you a simple question," Snappy-boy said.

"Why're you bein' such a dick?" Curly droned flatly.

"Yeah, why're you bein' such a dick?"

Rogue and Bobby smiled at each other like nothing was going on. Nobody could put a handle on John when he started showing off. It was mean, but it was the most fun we had gotten all day. "Because I can," John said bored, flicking his Zippo.

"Can I have a light?" Curly repeated slowly.

John stared into the flame for a moment before flipping the lighter shut and leaning back, "Sorry, can't help you out, pal."

"John, knock it off," Rogue scolded.

"Why don't you stop showing off?" Bobby demanded.

"Oh, for them?" John scoffed, "I can't help it if my girlfriend's bored or if yours is getting excited."

"I don't think she's getting excited," Bobby countered. While the boys squabbled, I glared at Snappy while he leered down at Rogue. She shot him a disgusted look and rolled her eyes. She looked at me, and I mouthed the word 'creep'.

"Don't get shook up," John continued. "We're tryin' to have a good time, here. Alright?"

"I think you're the only one having a good time."

"Hey!" John snapped when Curly grabbed his lighter. Snappy blocked off John while Curly lit a cigarette. "That's real cute, man."

Bobby sent me a look, silently asking me to calm him down before something bad happened. "John," I said gently, "come on. It's not worth it."

"What're you gonna do?" Snappy challenged, "Suddenly, you're not so tough." Then, Curly's arm burst into flames, and he fell back onto the tables. The food court turned into a flurry of surprised and frightened people. Bobby stood and sent a blast of cold air to the boy on fire. The fire went out, Curly looked like he had been in a freezer for days, and the whole museum now knew we were mutants.

Then, everything just stopped.

Every motion came to a halt. It was as if each person in the entire museum had become part of the exhibits. Except, the four of us.

"Bobby, what did you do?" Rogue asked. John waved his hand in front of Curly's face and threw a grin over his shoulder at me.

"I didn't do this," Bobby answered.

"No," Professor Xavier's voice rang out, "I did." He appeared in his wheelchair through the crowd of immobile people. It seemed as if the entire school had shown up along with him. "And the next time you feel like showing off, don't."

"Breaking news," the unmistakable voice of a newscaster came from the televisions stationed throughout the museum. "We're coming to you live from Washington where there's been an attack in the Oval Office of the White House. Details are still coming in, but we have been informed that the president and vice-president were not harmed. Sources say the attack involved one or more mutants…"

The peace could only have lasted for so long. It was a bold move. I doubt anyone in their right mind would ever dare to make an attempt on the president's life. The truth was, it was scary. That just meant that the mutant supremacy movement was growing, and they were getting reckless. I felt John's hand close around mine.

"I think it's time to leave, Professor," Scott suggested.

"I think you're right."

We returned to the Institute with a small problem and a big problem. The small problem was John using his powers out in the open like that, and the big problem was a mutant assassination attempt on the president. _Both_ disturbed me greatly.

Professor Xavier took the teachers to deal with the mutant assassin while the students returned to their usual business on the grounds.

"You can't do things like that, John," I threw my arms up in exasperation. I knew that he liked to show off, and that was fine… in the Institute. Out there, it just made all mutants look bad.

"Princess, come on," John put out his lighter and leaned forward in the armchair. "He used his powers, too. Why am I the only one getting yelled at?"

"I only used my powers because you decided to torch a guy," Bobby snapped.

"So turning him into a human popsicle was your idea of putting him out?" John retorted.

"If he hadn't, I would have," I let him know. Both of them fell silent and eyed me carefully. Ever since I had come back from Gotham, things had changed. I wasn't the same person who had lost Senator Kelly in the labs when Rogue was kidnapped. I was Thalia Wayne, public supporter of mutant rights.

"Everything ended up fine," Rogue reminded all of us.

"Because the professor was there," I made sure they recalled that teensy bit of information.

"Hey, calm down," John stood up and ran his hands down my arms. An action meant to soothe me, only made me feel embarrassed with Rogue and Bobby sitting right there. "It was just a little bit of fun. The jerk wouldn't have actually gotten hurt." I pulled back in shock and disbelief. My face must have mirrored those feelings because John sighed and turned to our friends, "Just a minute."

He took my hand and walked out. I followed him to one of the less frequented hallways and crossed my arms when he dropped my hand. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's not just me messing around. I know you better than that. Tell me."

I shook my head and pushed my hair back just so that I had something to do. "Things were actually getting better. The registration act was repealed, Wayne Enterprises set up the genetics department, and there hasn't been a disturbance like this in months."

"Then something like an assassination attempt happens," John continued, catching on, "and all of that changes." Wordlessly, I nodded, and he put his arms around me, kissing my forehead.

"But, really, setting someone on fire?" I looked up at him, pulling back. He sighed and ran a hand through his combed back hair.

"Too much?"

"Yeah," I nodded. Just a lot. Setting people on fire was somewhere up there with anti-arson laws. "I'm going to head back. Coming?"

John pursed his lips, "I _could _do that, but…" he trailed off shrugging.

I laughed and rolled my eyes, "Okay, I'll see you later." Stretching a little bit, I planted a quick kiss on his jaw and removed myself from his embrace. Casting a look back at the smirking pyrokinetic, I walked back to the living room. At least I intended to. Instead, I found Rogue and Bobby… who was introducing himself to a familiar, sideburn bearing face.

"Right. Boyfriend? So how do you guys…" he trailed off, clearly talking about the physical contact issue.

"Well, we're still working on that," Bobby said awkwardly.

I groaned loudly, joining my friends, "I thought you went back to whatever cave you came from."

"The one person I _didn't _miss," he growled, but his eyes gleamed with humor.

"Liar," I scoffed, losing a fruitless battle against a pleased and content smile. "Good to see you back in one piece."

"Look who's come back. Just in time," Ororo descended the staircase.

"For what?" Logan asked strongly but without aggression.

"We need a baby-sitter." I almost choked on my laughter. Logan? Babysit? I don't think so.

"Baby-sitter?" he seemed almost frightened by the idea.

"Nice to see you again, Logan," Ororo welcomed, ignoring his echo.

"Hi, Logan," one very nicely dressed red head appeared on the staircase.

"Hi, Jean," Logan nodded to her.

The tension between them was so _overbearing_; it was worse than being with Bobby and Rogue when they decided to cuddle. Either way, I didn't want to be around for the rest. Apparently, neither did anyone else.

"Uh, I should go and get the jet ready," Storm spun and all but ran away.

"Yeah, well, it was good to meet you," Bobby took Rogue's hand and walked off. "Come on. Let's go."

"Bye, Logan. I'll see you later," she called back, not turning around until she almost stumbled.

"And I'm going before I witness something I don't want to witness," I chirped. Logan sent a confused look, but I turned my back and nudged Jean not so subtly as I passed.

Jean was more than the person who taught me my way around a lab room. She had become part of the family; someone like Bruce and Alfred. Still, I had no idea what was going on between her and Logan. Not that I really wanted to know. Of course, I had a sneaking suspicion that it was something neither Scott nor I would approve of.

X-X-X-X

_Everything burned. To my right, a wall of flames blocked any escape. To my left, a hallway nearly collapsed from burned through framework. I couldn't move, or else I'd burn. _

I gulped in air, and my eyes flew open. It was dark, my blankets were thrown off, and there was no fire. Breathing heavily, I forced myself to sit up. Rogue and the other girls still seemed to be sleeping. Quietly, I left the room and headed to the bathroom.

My reflection showed me a girl with dark eyes and hair and a flushed face. I turned the faucet and listened as the water ran. The sound calmed me. It made me feel like I was somewhere safe. Somewhere below ground. Somewhere with a waterfall and caverns. Somewhere with bats.

The door flew open.

Before I even realized what was going on, the stream of water from the faucet burst and redirected to the door. The surge fell to the ground when a high-pitched, resounding scream broke my focus and forced me to cover my ears in a vain attempt to muffle the sound.

Then, it was gone.

That had been Theresa, and she wouldn't have let out a scream like that without good reason.

I glanced over the person who had been unfortunate enough to open my door. Male, middle-aged, and armed. From the sounds of it, there were more.

Students screamed and ran in a craze. "Go! Everybody, go! Stay together!" I yelled, ushering the younger students through the halls. The men in dark uniforms followed. They raised their guns… and stopped. With one motion of my arm, they were motionless. With another, they were slammed through the walls. Leaving the intruders, I followed after the other students.

"Lia!" John shouted in the crowd. He ran to me and took my hand. We moved with the crowd. We had to get out. We _all_ had to get out. The kids were horrified and in danger. There were intruders in the mansion. I had the feeling that the front yard wouldn't be any safer.

"John! Lia!" Bobby called, stepping out of the elevator. We stopped and backtracked around the corner. "Hey. Where's Rogue?"

"I don't know," John replied.

"The room? Maybe. She could be anywhere in here."

"I gotta find her," Bobby took off.

"Hey!" John called after him. Then, we were chasing him. We practically searched through half of the school before our paths crossed.

"Rogue!" Bobby shouted.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed. "This way." The four of us ran back the way she came, but dark figures cast shadows outside the window at the end of the hall. The window blew, and Rogue screamed. I extended my hand, and whoever was out there, fell a good story to the ground.

"Not that way," I said as a light shone through the broken window. We ran back the other way, down the stairs, finding unconscious men lying in the hallway.

"Come on," Bobby prompted, tearing my attention from the bodies strewn around. We kept going. Then, the doors burst open, and lights blinded me. We were trapped.

Then Logan leapt from the balcony above us and pierced through two of the intruders before taking out the two behind them.

"Let's go," he said simply. He opened the front doors. Immediately, white light flooded in, and winds whipped up from a helicopter outside whipped my hair back. "Come on. This way," Logan directed, pushing us in the direction we had to go.

"This is it," Bobby pressed against the wall where an emergency escape masked its entrance. The panel slid up and we filed in.

"Logan!" Rogue shouted sharply when he didn't crawl in. Instead, he shut us in the passage. John was the first one down the stairs into the tunnels, Bobby behind him, me and Rogue trailing behind. Once we were down the stairs, Rogue called for action, "Wait! Wait! You guys, we gotta do something. They're gonna kill him."

"I've seen that man's x-rays," I pointed out, "he's not that easy to kill."

"He can handle himself. Let's go," John argued.

"Bobby!" Rogue's voice took on a demanding, reprimanding quality. Bobby looked from his girlfriend to us. "Please." The desperation in her plea broke my resolve to run.

"Okay," Bobby ran back, Rogue and I going with him. John reluctantly followed. Rogue's concern may or may not have been misplaced, but I understood her concern. Logan was to her what Jean was to me.

When the panel opened, Bobby held his hand to the wall. Ice spread from his hand, and a chill came over the atmosphere. Frozen crystals crossed from one side of the hall to the other, creating a barrier between Logan and an older man who seemed to be leading the charge.

"No! No!" Logan roared, pushing against the ice as if he could reach through it. Why he would be saying _that _was beyond me.

"Logan, come on. Let's go," Rogue called to him. The figure on the other side of the glass put its hand up against the frozen barrier, and Logan mirrored the movement.

"Logan," Bobby pressed.

"Go! I'll be fine," Logan insisted.

"Told you," I grumbled.

"But we won't," Rogue told him. He looked back, seemingly remembering his responsibility as the adult. He seemed torn but chose to come with us.

"Go," he ordered, and we ducked back into the tunnel. "Keep going." He followed and closed the panel behind him.

The passage led us all the way to the garage. We climbed up and picked one of the cars. "Alright, get in," Logan ordered. "Get in!" Bobby and Rogue ran around to one side of the blue car.

"I'm driving," John stated, opening the driver's door. I slid into the backseat behind him before Logan forced him to the side.

"Hey. Maybe next time." I ended up wedged between John and Bobby when Logan took the wheel.

"This is Cyclops's car," Bobby noticed while Logan looked for a way to start the car.

"Oh yeah?" the middle claw shot up, and he somehow used it to start the car. The car sped off, and we got away. Bobby kept looking back to see if we had been followed, but we had managed to get off the property so far.

"What the hell was that back there?" John's voice shook with fear when he spoke.

"Stryker," Logan stated collectedly. "His name is Stryker."

"Who is he?" Rogue asked gently.

"I can't remember," Logan barely sounded above a whisper. I leaned back and tried to get as comfortable as possible. That was bad. It was the second time in less than a year that people had invaded my home and caused a ruckus. I wasn't sure what had happened to the other students, but the Institute seemed empty when we left.

Faith. I needed to have faith.

My worry-filled thoughts were disrupted when John clambered over me to get to the front. "I don't like uncomfortable silences."

"What are you doing?"

"Christ, John, get off me," I shifted uncomfortably. The radio blared with boy band music from five years ago. Everybody objected. Why 'N Sync was the first to play in Scott's car? I had no idea.

"I don't think that's the CD player," John quipped.

"Sit back," Logan finally, _finally _instructed John. I dug my elbow into his side in retaliation for being climbed over.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Storm and Jean are in Boston," Logan replied. "We'll head that way."

"My parents live in Boston," Bobby spoke up. I glanced over and found him looking troubled.

"Good," Logan sounded.

We were running.

The government had been attacked, and now they were scared. They were fighting back. We hadn't done anything wrong, but unsurprisingly, we had become the enemy.

John's fingers threaded through mine, bringing our hands together. I leaned against him, enjoying the comfort being near him provided. Until we could meet up with the others, it was just us five. We had to stick together, and if there was a god out there, I had to be grateful that John was sitting right there next to me.

I rested my head on his shoulder, staring straight ahead because I couldn't sleep.

I hadn't been able to sleep in months.

**_A/N... So, we're off to the second movie (yay). I hope everyone enjoyed; if you have questions or comments, I'd love to see them. Reviews are love ^.^ _**

**_Happy reading ^.^ _**


	5. Fault and Fire

The Drake family house was no Wayne manor, but it was a nice, normal house. A house you would expect from a nice, normal family. We must have been a sight. Four teenagers and a grown man in their pajamas getting out of a bright, blue sports car. "Mom? Dad? Ronny?" Bobby called after opening the door. "Is anybody home?" John flipped his Zippo open and closed as he appraised the house. "I'll try and find us some clothes," Bobby said. He turned his attention to John, "Don't burn anything."

Bobby's mother had a… charming taste in clothing. I ended up wearing a pink blouse that fit loosely and jeans that I had to hold up with a belt. After changing, I found John in the living room, intently staring at the Drakes' family pictures with a forlorn expression.

"Hey," I touched his shoulder tentatively, breaking his distant gaze. It only lasted for a second. I sighed. John hadn't had the life Bobby or I had. His had been difficult, and I understood that. What he didn't understand, and I didn't hold it against him, was that ours hadn't been easy either. "They look boring," I said for his sake.

"He's got it all, doesn't he?" John sneered.

"It's not all it seems to be," I told him softly. I wanted to call my family; just let them know to be careful. We didn't have a row of pictures like the Drakes – partly because everything burned down – but we were still family. We worried for each other.

Speaking of worried, a very confused family appeared in the entranceway along with our friends. I made eye contact with Rogue and tugged on John's sleeve. The Drakes sat together with Rogue next to Bobby. Logan loitered in the archway, and John and I leaned against a table.

While Bobby explained, I couldn't help but feel sympathetic for him. I had been in his place not that long ago, and something told me that his family wasn't as accepting as mine. John flipped his lighter open, starting the small flame, and closed it almost as soon as it lit. I focused on the rhythm, trying not to look at the Drakes.

"So, uh…" Mrs. Drake started awkwardly, "when did you first know you were a – a…" she broke off, unable to say the word.

"A mutant?" John filled in, starting a light again.

Mrs. Drake acknowledged him with a less than appreciative gaze. "Would you cut that out?" her request didn't come off as polite. It wasn't unsurprising. John didn't really get along well with authority, or people in general. With an exaggerated motion, he flipped the lid closed.

"Not now," I whispered.

"Later then," he replied meaningfully.

"You have to understand," Mr. Drake took on the conversation. "We thought Bobby was going to a school for the gifted."

"Bobby is gifted," Rogue defended pointedly.

"We know that. We just didn't realize he was…" I bristled at Mr. Drake's disapproving tone.

His wife interrupted him. She tried to sound caring and compassionate, but disgust built in me as she spoke, "We still love you, Bobby. It's just this mutant problem is a little…"

"What mutant problem?' Logan piped up.

If that was what a normal family was like, I'd take my few eccentrics any day. They couldn't claim to love him but call a huge part of him a problem. It didn't work like that. Mutants weren't a problem. People _made _us one.

And if our own families couldn't look past their own desire for normality and perfection, then the world would never be able to function.

"Complicated," she completed.

"What exactly are you a professor of, Mr. Logan?" Mr. Drake questioned, more like challenged, dubiously.

"Art," Logan answered without skipping a beat.

"The Institute teaches us in every aspect, Mr. and Mrs. Drake. Math, Science, Literature, Art. Bobby's received an excellent education as well as how to control his abilities. He's a very talented young man." I informed them with the professionalism I had seen all my life. "And a good friend," I added.

"Who did you say you were, again?" Mrs. Drake questioned, thinly veiling her annoyance.

I resisted a sneer, "Thalia Wayne. You might've heard about me in the papers." Her eyes darted away uneasily. She drank her coffee as something to distract her.

"Well, you should see what Bobby can do," Rogue told them. Her boyfriend reached out and touched the cup. With just one finger, he froze the coffee. Coffee – a _heated_ liquid.

"Bobby," his mother whispered. Surprise laced her words, but the tone bordered on fear. She turned the cup and a block of ice fell out.

"I can do a lot more than that," he told them proudly. Mrs. Drake set down the cup and saucer as if she had been the one chilled by Bobby's powers. John snickered next to me. Bobby's brother rose from the couch and walked away.

"Ronny!" Mrs. Drake called, a pained expression crossing her face. She shook her head in disbelief. "This is all my fault."

"Actually, they discovered that males are the ones who carry the mutant gene and pass it on. So," John spoke quickly, rattling off the facts, "it's his fault." Mr. Drake's jaw went slack and turned his mouth into a small O.

"Nobody's at _fault_," I stated strongly. "The mutant gene may or may not remain dormant. It's pure fate when it activates, and it's nothing to feel guilty for." After that, we fell into silence. Then, someone started ringing. All eyes were on Logan, and when he realized it, he searched for the source of the sound.

"Oh, it's for me," he walked out to take the call.

"Bobby," Mrs. Drake said, "have you tried _not_ being a mutant?"

"Have you tried not having blue eyes, Mrs. Drake?" I shot back angrily, unable to restrain myself.

"Lia, it's fine," Bobby assured me.

"No!" I protested heatedly, "I'm sorry, Bobby, but I've had enough. If you're not going to stand up for yourself, then I will! Your _son_, Mrs. Drake, has spent years learning to embrace a piece of him that sets him apart from others. He knows that it's just a skill – a gift that he was blessed with – and it's not our gifts that dictate who we are. It's what we do that defines us." Rachel's words had somehow become my own, and if she knew, I was sure that she would be standing up defending mutantkind and me as fervently as she defended Gotham.

Nobody spoke, but eye contact said more than any words could relay. Mrs. Drake immediately looked away from me, and I hoped she was feeling very shamed.

Logan made his return. "We have to go now," he stated abruptly.

"Why?" Rogue demanded.

"Now," he barked.

His urgency earned my attention and concern. Something was wrong… other than the obtuse family in this household. "Logan, what's wrong?" Rogue asked worriedly. He headed straight for the door, the claws coming out. We followed behind him.

Outside, we were surrounded.

"Drop the knives and put your hands in the air," a police officer commanded. Two of them blocked off the porch, one on each end.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Drake demanded.

"Ronny," Bobby realized simply. So, that's where Bobby's brother had stormed off to.

"I said drop the knives," the officer repeated. Glass shattered from inside, and Mrs. Drake screamed. There was yelling coming from the living room.

"This is just a misunderstanding," Logan said.

"Put the knives down!"

"I can't," Logan told him harshly. "Look." Slowly, he raised his arms. The officer on our right fired without warning. Rogue screamed when the bullet hit Logan, and he fell to the porch.

"All right," the cop aimed at us next, "the rest of you, on the ground now." Slowly, we lowered ourselves onto the porch. All of us, except John. My heart thudded against my chest rapidly. Now wasn't the time for him to have authority issues. "Look, kid, I said on the ground."

"We don't wanna hurt you, kid," the other cop, a woman, told him.

"John, get down," I pleaded. He didn't even look at me.

"You know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news?" John spoke up.

"No," I hissed, realizing what he planned to do when his lighter flipped open. "John, don't do it. Please."

"I'm the worst one." He created a ball of fire in his hand, and then sent a heated blast at the officer who shot Logan. Turning to the left, he sent another stream of fire at the woman. Over Rogue and me.

I felt the heat.

He blasted flames into the house. The yard was next. He struck one of the cars with a fireball. It exploded.

Smoke. Fire.

Fire everywhere. Everywhere I looked. Fire devouring the walls, the ceiling, the furniture. Orange and yellow tongues lapping at me from everywhere.

I screamed.

It wasn't Boston. I wasn't with my friends. I was surrounded on every side by baking flames, and the only person I was with, laid unconscious under a charred wooden beam.

And then, the flames disappeared. Slowly, I came out of that place. That damned memory. I saw what was happening right in front of me. Cars wrecked with scorch marks, and police lying on the ground.

There was a weight around my shoulders, and I realized that it was Bobby's arm wrapped around me. On my other side, Rogue had one hand outstretched and the other on John's ankle.

The jet from the Institute landed in front of us. With Bobby's help, I got to my feet, still trembling from the episode. Logan got up, too, and cast a look at John after taking in the damage. With Bobby's aid, I hobbled off the porch.

"I got you," Rogue said as my weight was shifted onto her. We boarded the jet, and Rogue sat me down behind a blue skinned mutant.

"Guten tag," he greeted gingerly, turning around in his chair.

"H-hi," I returned through shaky breaths, seeing as nobody else cared to say anything.

"Who the hell is this?" Well, did Logan _really _count?

"Kurt Wagner," the mutant introduced himself. "But in the Munich circus, I was known as "the Incredible Nightcrawler"."

I smiled as he added the short back-story. "Aw, save it," Logan grumbled. "Storm?"

I reached forward and tapped Mr. Wagner's shoulder. "My name's Lia," I steadied my voice. "Ignore Logan, he's always that pleasant."

"I can hear you," Logan pointed out. The blue mutant smiled and turned to face the front. Vaguely, I noticed the glare John sent from his seat in front of Mr. Wagner.

"We're outta here," she announced. The jet shook as if experiencing turbulence, but we had barely even gotten off the ground. We got into the air smoothly after that.

"Hey," Rogue leaned across the aisle, concern written across her face, "are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I don't know what came over me." It wasn't really a lie. I hadn't expected my reaction to be like that.

"You were yelling for Bruce," Bobby told me, turning his seat around to face us. "Lia, you never told us that you were in that fire."

The fire journalists claimed Bruce had started in a drunken fit. "It must've slipped my mind," I said smoothly. The conversation fell away, and silence filled the jet.

"Unidentified aircraft, you are ordered to descend to 20,000 feet," a voice radioed in. "Return with our escort to Hanscom Air Force base. You have ten seconds to comply." That's inviting. "We are coming up alongside you to escort you to Hanscom Air Force base. Lower your altitude now. Repeat, lower your altitude to 20,000 feet. This is your last warning."

Storm's warning to hang on barely prepared me for the increased speed of the aircraft. Rogue scrambled to get her seatbelt fastened, and Logan stumbled into his seat. "I've gotta shake them," Storm announced. The jet descended and turned upside down in some sort of maneuver before flying straight again. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Please don't do that again," John said.

"I agree," Logan voiced. "Don't we have any weapons in this heap?" Dark clouds gathered around us, shutting out the sun. Tornadoes formed and touched down all around us like an obstacle course. The jet rocked and lurched. It was like driving over a road full of potholes only worse.

Then, the clouds disappeared, and the sun bathed us in gold. I guess Storm had lost them. I sank into my chair with relief.

"Everybody okay back there?" Jean checked back.

"Peachy," I squeaked. Seemed like we had gotten through the worst of it, right? Wrong. The radar went off again, and alerts beeped incessantly.

"Oh, my God. There's two of them," Storm announced. I braced myself for impact, and the seconds drew on and on and on. "There's one more." That meant one went down. The only solution I could come up with was that Jean had used her powers. Powers that I _knew_ hadn't been that strong when I moved to the Institute.

The collision blasted through the back of the jet. My body jerked forward, and then my head slammed into the back of the chair. A wind tunnel sucked out loose objects… and people. In this case, Rogue.

She screamed, and Bobby reached out to her. "Rogue!"

"No!" Logan yelled. Mr. Wagner disappeared in a cloud of smoke. One second, he was gone. The next, he had Rogue wrapped in his arms, and they were safely on the jet's floor. Maybe not safely. The jet dived to the ground, spinning out of control. A crash was inevitable. We might survive. We might not.

Then, the back of the jet patched itself back up. Our descent seemed to slow, and the lights from the controls flickered wildly. With a final lurch forward, the jet stopped. We hadn't died, but I wasn't sure yet if we were safe.

**_A/N... I admit, the Drake family scene is one of my favorites in the entire _****_movie franchise._**

**_The companion piece to this story "First Steps" is up and focuses on the events after Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham. I'd recommend reading it because it helps to fill in some developments in Lia's character, but I wouldn't say you have to. _**

**_Still, I recommend it...partially because I wrote it eh heh..^.^"_**

**_I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far ^.^ Reviews are welcome. Also, I'm looking for cover pictures, and if anyone's willing to make one, I'd be very grateful. Let me know if you're interested._**

**_Happy reading ^.^ _**

**_To Hayden, I imagine Thalia to look like Lily Collins who played Clary in the Mortal Instruments and Sam Borgens in Stuck in Love._**

**_To Lieutenant Akira, I don't want to spoil anything, but I want Thalia to be as involved as possible without messing with the original story too much. _**


	6. Pride and Parting Ways

Magneto had been the one to save us from crashing, but from last year's experience, I knew he would gladly let us die if there wasn't something he had to gain. There were some uniforms in the jet, and we had changed without complaints. A long sleeved jacket, bearing encircled Xs on the shoulders, plain shirt, and pants. An outfit better suited for whatever we'd end up facing later on.

Bobby and John pitched the tents. I grew up in the city. We never camped. I sat nearby and watched them work, unable to look away even when John would take a moment to check on me from where he worked.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Rogue asked me after the fifth glance John sent over.

"He didn't even look at me, Rogue," I told her weakly. He hadn't. I pleaded with him, asked him not to attack the police, and he hadn't even looked at me. Rogue gave up trying to convince me.

I wasn't scared of sinking anymore.

I was scared of watching everything burn. Nightmares of vicious fires plagued my dreams. I hadn't been able to sleep ever since that evening, and I don't think camping would change that anytime soon.

Once the tents were up, I zipped myself into one. Jean had been watching me carefully, like she was scared I would have another episode. Bobby looked at me with brotherly concern and at John with blame. Rogue tried to understand, but I couldn't bring myself to burden her about it. With the sympathy radiating from my friends, I couldn't stand being around them.

The tent zipped open, and an uncertain John crawled through the entrance. He closed the flaps of the tent and sat a good foot away from me.

"I used to be scared of drowning," I told him. "There's something about being a Wayne that calls for expectations to live up to people I never even knew. It felt like the entire world was watching me, waiting for me to fail. Going back to Gotham taught me to get over that fear, but I left home with a new fear."

"Fire," he stated uneasily. Being a pyrokinetic, having a girlfriend scared of fire must have been hard on him.

I faced him and reached out, trailing my fingers down the side of his face, down his arm, taking his hand in mine and feeling the metal of his lighter, warmed by his hand. "Burning," I corrected, slowly removing the lighter from his hands and turning it over in mine. "Nobody knows what it was like in there. I watched everything go up in flames. Pictures, heirlooms… gone. When I found Bruce, he was trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had collapsed. He was unconscious. I tried to get him out from under it, but I couldn't lift it. I was so _scared_ of watching him die. The thought of losing him terrified me."

"I'm sorry." He meant it. John wouldn't apologize if he didn't mean it. Otherwise, he wouldn't even bother saying it. I saw the guilt. Not because he had harmed the police in Boston, but because his powers triggered terror in me. "I didn't know."

I shifted closer to him. A part of me did fear what he was capable of, what he had no problem doing, but a part of me saw him as the person who ate ice cream with me in the kitchen every week, comforting me when I was restless. "Don't let your powers consume you, John," I cautioned quietly, still turning over the lighter in my hand. "Promise you won't do something reckless."

"You have to stop asking for promises, Princess." His words struck me in the heart with a cold feeling of dismay. Even with his arms around me, I felt like he couldn't be any farther gone.

Turning around, I brought my face closer to his and pressed my lips to his. He kissed me, and it felt no different than the times we had kissed in the past. Still, there was a distance between us that couldn't be shaken off.

I was losing him.

X-X-X-X

Our destination was set the next day. We packed up camp and set off. Last night had been a busy night for everyone. Or, at least Jean and Logan who had been interacting more strangely than usual. John and I had stayed next to each other last night, and I hadn't even tried to sleep because of the nightmares. Which led to me fending off Ororo's and Jean's suspicious glances and thoroughly assuring them that nothing had happened.

The jet took off early in the morning, and while Rogue and Bobby admired an encased uniform, John and I sat next to the two mutant supremacists. We hadn't spoken about the previous night, but he knew as well as I did that our relationship wouldn't last long the way that we were growing. But neither one of us wanted it to end.

Magneto started laughing, drawing all attention from the passengers around him. His laughter died down, and I followed his gaze to Rogue. "We love what you've done with your hair," he remarked. Rogue's attention never shifted from Magneto as she removed one of her gloves. She moved threateningly forward, but Bobby jumped to stop her.

"Hey, hey. Come on. Let's go," he turned her away slowly.

I watched the flame of John's lighter flicker on and off while he continued his habit. "So," he addressed Magneto, "they say you're the bad guy."

"Is that what they say?" he returned, amusement laced in his voice. I didn't like it. Sitting there while my boyfriend made small talk with the man who had nearly killed Logan and Rogue and succeeded in killing Senator Kelly.

"That's a dorky looking helmet. What's it for?"

"This dorky looking helmet is the only thing that's gonna protect me from the real bad guys," Magneto informed him. John's lighter flew from his hands into Magneto's, the flame remained steady as it moved. The older mutant stared intently into the flame and asked, "What's your name?"

"John."

"What's your real name, John?" Finally, I looked up. It was a loaded question. One I hoped he would ignore, but John loved to show off.

The flame jumped from the lighter into his hand, and I swallowed thickly, watching the small, controlled light grow under his influence and dance on his palm. "Pyro."

"Quite a talent you have there, Pyro," Magneto remarked.

"I can only manipulate the fire. I can't create it," John closed his hand, extinguishing the flames. Disappointment filled his voice.

"You are a god among insects," Magneto told him in a whisper. "Never let anyone tell you different." That was all I could take. I shot to my feet, ready to walk away, but an aged, accented voice spoke, "You look like her."

I stopped in my tracks. Turning, I found their eyes on me. "That's usually how reproduction works," I quipped, ignoring the dryness of my throat.

"I knew her," he continued, "years ago."

"You and just about every mutant on the East coast." My mom had made it a point to meet and develop relationships with as many mutants as she could find. It started as a social experiment, but it ended as a network of earnest friendship and cooperation.

"Your mother was a remarkable woman. Intelligent, compassionate. She's the only human who ever managed to impress me. She was a great supporter of ours."

Indignation flared up in me. Alice Wayne supported the belief that mutants had a right to walk freely among humans as peers. As _themselves_. "She supported equality," I hissed. "What you want goes against what she believed in for the world." I didn't want to hear anymore. Sparing a final look at John and finding his gaze to be thoughtful and almost sad, I walked away.

"Alice was my friend," a woman's voice said behind me. I spun around and found that the blue skinned shape shifter had followed me out. "She was like Charles, never lost faith that humans could learn to accept us."

"You were friends with a human?" I asked skeptically.

"I was friends with Alice Wayne," she corrected meaningfully. "You mother wasn't like other humans."

"She was a Wayne. We have a history of standing up against prejudice."

"I saw you on the news. You said mutants have as much a right to be proud of themselves as any other race and culture. The whole world knows you're one of us. She would be proud of you."

"I don't know if I can say the same for you."

X-X-X-X

The jet landed at a beautiful scene of snowy mountains, towering evergreens, and a crystal clear lake. I would have appreciated it more if we didn't have work to do.

"All right. This is a topographic map of the dam," Storm stated, bringing up a floating image of the dam outside, recreated by the use of light. "This is the spillway. You see these density changes in the terrain? They're tire tracks." The images blurred and altered to show an orange pipe.

"That's the entrance?" Logan asked.

"Mhmm," Storm confirmed. "And this shows the depth of the ice that's covering the ground. Now this is recent water activity." A light blue was added to the map.

"If we go in there, Stryker could flood the spillway," Jean said from next to me.

"Not if I keep the water back," I voiced.

"No, there's too much of it," Jean objected. "That much pressure could kill you." I could have argued that I could handle it, but there was no use. She wouldn't have let me either way.

"Can you teleport inside?" Storm asked Mr. Wagner.

"No," he informed her. "I have to be able to see where I'm going. Otherwise, I could wind up inside a wall."

"I'll go," Logan volunteered. "I have a hunch he'll want me alive."

"Wolverine," Magneto spoke up, "whoever goes into the dam needs to be able to operate the spillway mechanism. What do you intend to do?" The diagram disrupted as he walked through the path of the lights. "Scratch it with your claws?"

"I'll take my chances," Logan stepped up.

"But I won't."

X-X-X-X

The adults began their operation and ordered us to stay in the jet. Once again, I had to sit back and put my faith in other people despite wanting to do more. I _knew _that I could do more. Back in Gotham, my powers had proven to be stronger than I had ever thought. If they would give me a chance, I could fight.

I stopped keeping track of time. Counting the minutes only caused anxiety. We didn't get any word, but we waited.

I watched John while we sat there. He sat, staring at the flame of his Zippo. I wasn't sure if he had noticed me or not. He was agitated, but what could we do? Rush into danger without a plan? These past couple days had changed him. He had always been angry, but now it was hatred and scorn.

I didn't have room for those feelings in my life. If I wanted to live up to the legacy my mom and uncle left behind, I couldn't have them in my life. Still, I wanted _him. _I wanted that show off to be a part of my life.

"That's it," he snapped his lighter shut and opened the hatch.

"Whoa. Where do you think you're going?" Bobby demanded.

John picked up his jacket on his way out saying, "I'm sick of this kid's table shit. I'm going in there."

"John, they told us to stay here," Rogue reminded him.

"You always do as you're told?" he shot back, fixing his collar. His expectant gaze landed on me. He knew me. He knew that I wanted to be out _there _fighting. I looked away. I didn't see his expression when he left, but I imagined one with hurt.

"Lia?" Rogue said my name with concern. Whether the concern was meant for me or John, I didn't know. Maybe both of us.

Scoffing irritably, I stormed out after him.

That complete and total _idiot_. All he had to do was stay in the jet and wait with us. It wasn't too much to ask. It was simple. I didn't like it, but if that was what we had to do, then so be it.

"John!" I called at his back. "John!" Still, he didn't look at me. "For God's sake, John! Look at me!" The snow at my feet rose from the ground and struck him in the back. Finally, he stopped.

"You can't stop me, Princess," he turned.

We would see about that. "What are you trying to prove?"

"I'm not trying to prove anything," he denied immediately.

"That you're strong? That you can fight? This isn't the time to show off, John!" I ignored his statement.

"No! I'm not!"

"That you can compete with Bobby?" I continued.

"I'm not competing with him!" John insisted. His face contorted with rage. I resisted the urge to flinch. I had seen him angry, but this was more than just anger.

"What is it then?" I practically spit. "That you can be a better mutant than you were a person?" Slowly, the fury morphed into surprise and hurt. I hadn't even meant to say that. I surprised myself with the accusation, and I wanted to take it back. But I couldn't… because it was true.

"Is that what you think of me?" he asked blankly.

I wanted to say no. I _wanted _so badly to say no. "Sometimes," I admitted, completely resigning to the truth.

"If that's what you think, then why are you even out here?" he sneered.

"Because I still believe in you," my voice broke, and I stepped forward, stopping myself from crossing the distance between us when he stepped back. "It's what we do that defines us, John. Please, don't let anger and hatred define you." Rachel's words were in my head again. The words she used to tell Bruce off in the hotel. They were so fitting for people like us. Vigilante and mutant.

The scorn and anger fell from his face, and there was hurt… consideration… and something else that I couldn't tell. Before either of us could say anything, my head felt like it was being split from the inside while pressure pushed against it from outside. I fell to the ground, unable to bear the pain. My entire body convulsed and thrashed against the pain. Vaguely, I saw John struggling nearby. I tried reaching for him, but he was too far away.

The terrible sensation disappeared almost as soon as it had come. John scrambled to his feet. Slowly, I got to mine. For an agonizingly long moment, we just stood there and watched the other. Then, I felt something shift in the atmosphere.

"There's something wrong," I said, turning in the direction of the shift. "The dam won't hold up. It's gonna flood." I had faith that my friends would be able to get out of the base. That wasn't the problem. If the dam went, the entire reservoir would flood. We'd all drown. "I have to help them. Come with me," I pleaded.

He closed the distance between us and kissed me. It was sad and carried a feeling of incompleteness. I held to him. I clung to him as if we could never be separated. I kissed him back fervently, trying to relay to him my desperation for him to stay.

"You don't have to go," my voice shook when we broke apart.

"I'm sorry." He was lying. It was the first time I ever witnessed him apologizing without meaning it.

Despite myself, I smiled, "I know you better than that." He looked pained, but that didn't stop him from going. That was it. John was gone.

He went his way, and I went mine.

**_A/N... Wow. Feels. Writing feels hurt guys. I literally rolled around in pain while writing this, but it had to be done. (Groans)._**

**_Thank you so much for the support shown in following, favoriting, and reviewing this story ^.^_**

**_Happy reading ^.^_**

**_To ShootingStar02, Thanks so much ^.^ I'm so glad you like it. It really means a lot to me that you think so highly of the story._**

**_To Hayden, You're so supportive! Thanks so much ^.^_**


	7. Sacrifice and Supremacy

I made my way back to the jet; not bothering to wipe the tear stains from my cheeks. The hatch was still open, and Rogue and Bobby were inside, watching as cracks split the cement of the dam. "It's going to blow," I told them.

"What happened?" Rogue asked taking in my less than photogenic appearance.

"Not now," I said briskly. "We have to meet up with the others. The exit's over there." I pointed to where Storm's diagram had shown it to be. "Come on. Anyone want to fly this thing?" Rogue was the one to get in the pilot's seat. I strapped in beside her, and Bobby occupied the space behind us. Taking off was fairly easy; we managed to stay upright, at least.

But then we were spinning out of control and would have crashed badly if the emergency landing program hadn't taken over. Rogue screamed, and we lurched to the side before finally touching down.

When I looked over, she was breathing heavily and shaking. I glanced back at Bobby, finding him to be a little shaken up, but fine. A laugh escaped me, and I slid down in the seat, unbuckling the fastenings, "That was fun." Rogue turned to me with shock and disbelief. Bobby opened the hatch and ran out.

"It's okay," I eased Rogue out of the pilot's chair. "You're okay. Let go. It's okay. We're alive." Although, for how long, I wasn't sure. She jumped and gasped when a puff of smoke appeared.

Mr. Wagner had teleported in with Professor Xavier and positioned him in one of the chairs. Our companions boarded the jet. Storm took Rogue from me, and I went to help Bobby situate the other students.

"It's gonna be okay, guys," I assured the younger students as I strapped them into their seats. Finally, Logan ran in carrying the last of the students. Bobby took him and seated him along with the others, and I strapped myself into the chair next to Rogue.

There was something going on with the controls, and I wasn't sure how much longer we had before the dam bust.

"Hey, has anyone seen John?" Rogue asked worriedly.

I cringed, "He won't be coming with us."

"Pyro?" Logan looked back. "Where the hell is he?"

"He's with Magneto," Jean said quietly. Rogue and Bobby turned to me, shock painting their faces.

"Lia, can you buy us some time?" Scott asked me.

"I can try," I closed my eyes and cast my mind out. It felt as if I was in the water, beneath the surface. I pulled on the water, drawing it back from the dam. The water rose and fell back in on itself, away from the dam. It was like trying to stretch gum around the lake, wrapping a thin adhesive around a force that could break through it at any moment.

I strained against the pressure of the lake, as if the water was building on top of me.

I wouldn't be able to hold it for long.

"Lia, it's alright," Rogue's voice sounded leagues away and altered as if water was in my ears. Just a little more time. That's all they needed.

The weight pushed down on my lungs. It was suffocating. I choked, trying to get air.

_Thalia, _Jean's voice spoke clearly in my mind, no waterlog distorting her voice, _it's all right. You can let go._

"Jean…?"

_It's alright_, she assured me.

I let go, and all the water crashed on the dam. I took a deep breath as my lungs regained the ability to expand and opened my eyes, finding that the lights were back on. "No, we're not leaving!" Scott roared. "Lower the ramp. Storm, lower it!"

"Jean?" I looked around frantically for the red hair. "Jean! No!" my voice came out as a shrill scream when I realized that she wasn't inside. My hands floundered to undo my belt.

"I can't," Storm answered Scott.

I finally freed myself from the seatbelt and made my way to the front of the jet. I stood behind Storm's chair and watched. The water surged, and Jean stood between the wave and us. I tried to help her. I tried to take some of the weight of the flood from her, but my powers wouldn't work. She wouldn't let me do it.

Fear took over me the same way it had when I saw Bruce in that fire. Complete, heart wrenching fear. Jean wouldn't let us die, but she wouldn't come out alive. I knew it, and something told me that she knew it too.

The jet lurched as water poured down on either side, but not on us. My hands gripped the headrest of Storm's chair. Jean had stopped it from crushing us. "She's controlling the jet," Storm announced.

"You, get her, now!" Logan ordered Mr. Wagner.

"She's not letting me," Mr. Wagner tried and failed to teleport.

"I know what I'm doing," Professor Xavier's voice sounded. But they weren't his words. "This is the only way." Scott and I dropped in front of the professor almost simultaneously.

"Jean," Scott sounded so strangled, so _desperate_, "listen to me. Don't do this."

"No," I begged, sobbing and grabbing the professor's hand, "Jean, no. Please. I can't lose another member of my family. Please."

"Good bye," the professor's mouth turned up in a smile. A sad, final smile of farewell.

"Oh, no! No!" Logan protested.

"No! No!" Scott returned to the front of the jet, but I couldn't move. Even when the professor opened his eyes, I knew it wasn't any use. Jean was going to save us, but she wouldn't go home with us. Professor Xavier's hand tightened around mine while I cried. I couldn't bring myself to watch it. I couldn't move.

The moment I felt the connection to my surroundings return, I knew it was over. I felt it. I cried harder than I ever remembered. "She's gone," Logan's words induced a particularly painful sob.

"She's gone," he repeated. I could feel it.

"Don't you say that!" Scott yelled viciously. "We gotta go back!" I could feel it.

"She's gone." I could feel it.

"No! No." The strength in his voice died away. "She's gone. She's gone. She's…" Scott kept repeating the words, as if saying them would somehow make the pain go away.

"She's gone." No. It had to stop. I didn't want it anymore. I didn't want to feel it.

"No!" I screamed, and for the first time since Gotham, I felt the pain.

It felt as if my body was shredded to pieces. It felt worse than being surrounded by scorching heat. It was as if every drop of water was leaving my body. As if my body was being turned inside out and torn in every different direction.

"Lia!" Rogue shouted, "Lia, stop it! Stop."

My eyes flew open, and powerful, unnatural waves on the surface of the water calmed, and the entire lake stilled. "I don't want to feel it," I choked. I didn't want to feel the water that was crushing her.

I didn't want to feel the water that was filling her lungs while air filled mine.

I didn't want to feel anymore.

X-X-X-X

It turned out that we didn't have to wait years to get our uniforms. Rogue, Bobby, and I were with the other X-Men on the day of the president's address. The black leather took some time getting used to, but it marked us as full members of the team.

But even three of us couldn't replace one lost.

"My fellow Americans, in this time of adversity, we are being offered a moment," the president spoke. "A moment to recognize a growing threat within our own population and take a unique role in the shape of human events."

Just like in the museum during the field trip that felt like ages ago, the camera crews and reporters would freeze. The skies darkened with storm clouds, and the only light would come from flashes from the heavens.

In an instant, we were standing among them in the Oval Office.

"Good morning, Mr. President," Professor Xavier greeted. "Please, don't be alarmed. We're not going to harm anyone."

"Who are you people?" he rose to his feet cautiously.

"We're mutants," Professor Xavier informed him. "My name is Charles Xavier. Please, sit down."

"I'd rather stand," the president defied.

"Rogue," Professor Xavier called her to submit the file. It was a complete and carefully detailed compilation of files divulging _everything._ She placed the blue folder on the table.

"These files were taken from the private offices of William Stryker," Professor Xavier informed him.

The president leafed through the papers, and then looked up, and then back down. Those papers were everything we had to prove our innocence. They were everything I had to avenge Jean's death. "How did you get this?" President McKenna questioned.

"Well, let's just say I know a little girl who can walk through walls; as well as one who knows her way around a computer," Professor Xavier replied. Although, Kitty and I weren't exactly a little girls.

The president read the files, and then he finally took a seat. "I've never seen this information," President McKenna stated suspiciously.

"I know."

"Then you also know I don't respond well to threats."

Professor Xavier answered, as calm as ever, "Mr. President, this is not a threat. This is an opportunity. There are forces in this world, both mutant and human alike, who believe that a war is coming. You will see from those files that some have already tried to start one and there have been casualties." My hand found Scott's, and I held to him. If not to provide some comfort to him, then for myself. We were mourning, but we wouldn't be alone. "Losses on both sides." I felt Rogue's gloved hand close around mine on my other side. We had formed a chain, the three of us, without meaning to. A chain built by compassion and sympathy.

"Mr. President," Professor Xavier continued, "what you are about to tell the world is true. This _is_ a moment. A moment to repeat the mistakes of the past or to work together for a better future. We're here to stay, Mr. President. The next move is yours."

"We'll be watching," Logan added. Thunder clapped loudly, and lightning flashed. Then, we were home.

X-X-X-X

"You know," Professor Xavier said in the presence of a few of us, "even when Jean was a student, she was always hesitant about her powers. Always looking to others." Scott stared out the window, Logan lurked by the fireplace, and I sat in the chair with my forehead resting in my hands. "Feeling that, in some way, she was left behind."

"Do you think," Scott tried to say, but the words died out as soon as they left his mouth. He tried again. "Could we have done more to save her?"

"In the past, she may have let us," Professor Xavier answered.

"There had to be another way," Logan suggested evenly, hopefully.

"There was," I said quietly, "but she wouldn't let me." My voice broke. I could have stopped it, could have _saved_ her… if only she hadn't stopped me. Always, _always_, she protected me. Just _once_ I would have liked to protect _her_.

"Why did she leave the plane?"

"Because she made a choice," Professor Xavier stated slowly. A choice that resulted in her death. There was a knock at the door. "Yes, come on in." The next class peeked in. Scott walked out followed by Logan. Jubilee put her hand on my shoulder, alerting me that their class had to begin. I pulled myself up, and walked out.

"Thalia," Logan called out when I passed him in the hallway. I stopped and looked back, facing him. "It wasn't your fault."

My entire body recoiled. "You didn't feel it, Logan," I took a shaky breath. "The second she… I felt it happen, and I was too late to stop it."

"A force like that would've killed you. She loved you, kid. She'd never let you put yourself in danger."

"Yeah," I acknowledged, knowing it was true. Jean was the only woman in my life who had acted like a mother to me. Rachel was like a sister. Alfred had acted as both mother and father, but he never truly adopted the role. The only one who actually showed me what it was like to have a mother was Jean.

She was there when I first came to the Institute.

She was there when I first walked into a lab.

She had comforted me when I couldn't save Senator Kelly.

She had listened to me when Bruce came back.

She had told me to let go.

Every step of the way, she had been there for me.

It was true, Jean had loved me.

"I loved her, too," I choked on a sob, and Logan let me cry against his shoulder. Somehow, I had lost both Jean and John in one day.

John, to the mutant supremacy movement. Jean, to a sacrifice I would never be able to thank her for.

I hadn't been able to save either of them from themselves.

**_A/N... And the feels just keep coming. (Gurgles and rolls off... but comes back because I have to finish this story). How do you guys feel about this? Because I'm choking on emotions._**

_**Thanks so much for sticking with this story ^.^ **_

_**Happy reading ^.^**_

_**To TalonNight, It's okay, I cried writing it... and this chapter. T.T **_


	8. Escapes and Exceptions

**_A/N... I do not own X2 or Batman Begins. I only take credit for Thalia Wayne and Harrison Page._**

"You've spent a lot of time in here lately," Professor Xavier remarked. I shot a glance over my shoulder and found that he had entered the lab.

"It's the only place I've been able to think lately," I replied, reviewing documents and research data sent in from the Genetics Department.

"There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you," he stated. I looked up from the computer, giving him my full attention. "Jean wasn't the only one who showed a great display of power at the lake, Thalia."

It had been a month since Jean. I could barely bring myself out of the lab. It felt so empty around the mansion without her and John. I felt empty. Being in the lab made it feel as if she was still there with me, correcting my mistakes and making jokes about silly little things. It was the only place where I could escape the truth - that Jean was gone.

"My powers get a little out of control sometimes," I admitted flippantly. "It happens."

"Emotional stress often results in loss of control," Professor Xavier stated.

"And I have to stay in control. I know," I assured him. The power to control the substance sustaining life on Earth was just as helpful and harmful as the element itself. I couldn't lose control, or else I'd end up hurting more people.

His concern showed clearly. He worried about all of his students, and after what had happened at the lake, Scott and I hadn't been the same. Except, Scott hadn't nearly created a tidal wave. "I don't doubt you. I only hope that you won't push yourself too hard."

"I have to stay busy, Professor," I told him apologetically. I had to stay busy to stay focused. It was easier to cope with the grief. I'd attend classes, do my training, and go to the lab. Sometimes, I would go up to the room, but most of the time, I spent full nights in the lab.

"Jean would want you to continue your life as you were when she was here."

"I'm trying," I sighed tiredly. I was trying, but I wasn't succeeding yet. In the back of my head, I'd always feel like it was my fault. If only I had been strong enough, then Jean would still be with us.

"She wouldn't want you to blame yourself either," Professor Xavier stated, possibly reading my mind or my face. It didn't really matter.

"That can't be helped." Maybe over time, I would be able to stop blaming myself, but until then, I'd feel responsible. Professor Xavier covered my hand in his as a show of comfort, and it did succeed a little bit. I offered him a weak smile of gratitude for all he had done for me in the past weeks.

The door opened, and Ms. Munroe walked in, "Lia, there's a phone call for you from a Rachel Dawes."

"Okay, thanks," I took the house phone from her. She and Professor Xavier exited together, offering me some privacy.

I hadn't spoken to Rachel since I saw her in Gotham. Other than catching up, but even then, we usually communicated through e-mails. Whatever she was calling about might have concerned Bruce. In which case, I hoped it wasn't serious. "Rachel? Hi, this is Lia. Look, if this is about Bruce, just tell me what he did, and…"

"Lia," she cut me off flatly, "this is about Harrison Page." It felt as if everything had come to a standstill. "You might want to sit down."

X-X-X-X

Harrison Page had been a board member at Wayne Enterprises. Uncle Tom had trusted him, and he had betrayed that trust. He associated himself with Falcone and blackmailed members of the company into transferring funds out of the account. When he was caught, they threw him in jail for the next forty years. As of 2006, he had twenty-eight more years.

Other than all that, he was Alice Wayne's ex-husband.

"He escaped early this morning," Rachel informed me. "His cell wall is gone. It's like someone opened the wall like a book. We don't know how it happened, but we're looking for him."

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse.

There was no way he could accomplish something like that. Unless, he was a mutant. If he was one of us, then why wait? Why after twelve years? "What happened to the wall?" I questioned. If he was a mutant, then a description of the wall could identify what kind of powers he had.

"It's like someone bent back everything holding it together," she described. "There's debris where parts of the wall fell out, but other than that, we don't have anything."

"Can you send me a picture?" I asked her next.

"It's a crime scene, Lia," she pointed out.

I'd just have to go somewhere else for pictures, then. "What do you think he's going to do?" I asked.

"We don't know," she admitted. "There used to be talk about a parole hearing for good behavior. Nobody thought he was going to break out. He could go after the guys who put him in or try to get back with the Mob. He might try to find you."

"I'm not worried about that," I stated. If he was going after me, then he better expect a fight.

"Well, I'm worried about that," she returned. "Mutant or not, I want you to be careful."

Her concern reminded me of Jean, and I felt bad for making the connection. This was _Rachel_. She and Bruce had been friends for as long as I could remember. People back home cared about me, and Jean had cared about me, but I can't let myself feel bad every time one of them worried for my safety.

"I will," I promised her. "Does Bruce know?"

"He knows," she assured me. She sounded so disapproving; I almost cringed. Bruce had told me that Rachel knew about him, but I didn't think she would be so against it. I had been against it at first, but… it was his way of protecting the city. I couldn't hold that against him.

"I should talk to him," I thought aloud.

"Tell him to be careful, too," she requested.

"I will. Thanks, Rachel. I'll keep in touch," I promised before the call ended. I closed my files on the computer and joined the other students upstairs. After setting the phone back where it belonged, I went up to my room and retrieved my cell phone.

Then, I found one of the more private locations on the grounds and made a call.

"Bruce Wayne," my cousin's voice received the call.

"Tell me what you have on Harrison Page," I demanded immediately.

"Nothing other than the case files from twelve years ago," he answered, adopting the serious tone he used for these situations. "There's no footage from his cell when it happened. Some kind of… magnetic interference."

It all started to make sense. Unless there was a relation I didn't know about, Harrison Page hadn't broken out on his own. "I want pictures of the scene." They arrived in my messages almost immediately. I saw exactly what I expected. The metal inside the walls had been bent outward.

"Aunt Alice never said anything about Page being a mutant," Bruce told me.

"She might not have known," I replied. "Page didn't do this. Bruce, promise me that you won't go after him."

"You're in danger," he protested. "I'm not going to…"

"I don't care," I snapped. "I know what I'm up against. Promise me, no matter what happens, you'll stay out of this."

"This is a family matter, Lia. I can't…"

I spoke over him again, "Yes, you can. I can take care of myself. I need you to trust me on this one and not go after him."

"If this is as bad as you think, then you can't expect me to leave it alone," Bruce reasoned.

Why couldn't he just trust me to take care of myself? I might not have had whatever training he did, but I could handle my own battles.

"I can, and I do! What good are you to Gotham with one of your own knives stuck in you?" I demanded. "This is my fight, not yours. Just stay out of it."

"Your fight is my fight," he insisted.

"It's my war, Bruce. Yours is in Gotham, protecting our _home_. Promise me that you'll stay out of it, no matter what."

"Lia," he started to argue.

"Promise me," I stressed firmly. I wasn't going to let him put himself into this kind of danger. If it were any other fight, I would have gladly accepted his help. He wasn't ready to fight Magneto. If Page was anything like me, then Bruce could be dead before even showing his face.

He sighed dejectedly, "I promise."

"Thank you," my posture relaxed with relief. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Be safe," he bid before disconnecting.

Magneto had broken Harrison Page out of prison, and Magneto always had something to gain from the actions he took. That had to mean that Page was worth something to his mutant supremacy movement.

If I wanted to find out, then my next stop was Professor Xavier's study.

"Magneto busted Harrison Page out of prison this morning," I stated upon entering. "I want to know why." This news seemed to distress the disabled man. That troubled reaction was definitely not a good sign.

"I had no idea," Professor Xavier hesitated.

"That my father broke out, or that he was a mutant?" I questioned.

"The former," he replied. "While he was a resident at the Gotham penitentiary, I thought that he wouldn't need my surveillance. I never imagined that Erik would go after him."

"But _why_?"

"Harrison's a mutant, as I'm sure you've already realized. For a time, he was a student here, but his views soon came to match those of Erik. His abilities are very much like yours. Except, he manipulates the minerals found in the earth."

"Geokinesis?" I guessed.

"Yes," Professor Xavier confirmed. "I assume he is with Erik now. I'm sorry Thalia, but I don't recommend taking action now. We'll have to wait."

"I can wait," I assured him. He was no better than the thugs running the streets of Gotham. Harrison Page was corrupt and criminal.

I had to keep busy to cope with the loss of my mentor. If taking down the son of a bitch who betrayed my family meant keeping busy, then I'd push through the grief. I'd train and prepare myself for the day when I could look him in the face and see what kind of person could abandon his family like he had.

X-X-X-X

"You've gotta take it easy, kid," Logan sounded while I healed myself from the injuries caused during our spar.

"Magneto and his pals won't take it easy," I reminded him, "I don't want you to either." After hearing of Page's breakout. I went to Logan for training. Out of all of us at the Institute, he was the only one I could go to for combat lessons. Bruce was out of the question, and everyone else just wouldn't be able to do it. I had to learn. I had to learn how to fight – _really _fight.

This was our third lesson, and my fourth dislocated joint.

"You'll end up killing yourself if you keep this up," he pointed out.

"I can heal."

"Jean wouldn't…" he started.

"If everyone would stop telling me what Jean would and wouldn't want, that'd be great," I remarked dryly. It was like they thought bringing my former mentor up would be the only way to keep me on track.

All I could think of to respond was that what Jean wanted was different from what I wanted.

For example, I hadn't wanted her to die.

"This isn't how to deal with it."

"And holing myself up in the Danger Room is a better option?" I countered, knowing how Logan had spent his time mourning. "You can try to be the helpful adult, Logan, or you can teach me how to fight."

He gave up trying to lecture me and got back to our lesson. Logan's training was physically straining to the point that I was more exhausted than any time I had ever used my powers. His way of fighting was aggressive, almost like he was. I would have preferred something better suited to me, but I wouldn't get that kind of training until I could see Bruce. That wasn't happening any time in the near future. I had to take what I could get.

"He's the only person I've ever hated," I told Logan after the training.

"Huh?" he grunted dumbly.

"Page," I elaborated. "You asked about what I had against him before."

"I thought you didn't hate people." Generally, I didn't, but this man was the exception.

"He left his four year old kid with the butler and held a family hostage for a few grand," I informed him. "The man stole thousands from a family that treated him like one of their own. He's corrupt. Men like him belong in prison."

"So, what're you going to do? Hunt him down?"

"No." That would mean hunting down Magneto and John. "Knowing the way things have been lately, Magneto's going to show up sooner or later. When he does, I want to be ready."

"Do what you've gotta do, kid," Logan said leisurely. "Just don't do something stupid."

"Hypocrite," I scoffed.

**_A/N...And this concludes the X2 portion of our story. Thanks for reading ^.^ Two down, three to go! I'm kind of struggling with finding an online version of The Wolverine that's captioned T.T _**

**_I'm so excited to keep writing! ^.^_**

**_Happy reading ^.^_**

**_P.S. I just want to say that your reviews and support mean the world to me! Thank you so much everyone!_**

**_To ShootingStar02, Aww I'm sorry! Thanks so much ^.^_**

**_To missmarvelgirl, Ahhhh! I'm sorry for tear making! T.T_**

**_To Hayden, Aww! Tears T.T Thank you so very much! ^.^_**


	9. Classes and Cures

**_A/N... I do not own X-Men: The Last Stand nor do I own anything from the Batman franchise. You know the drill._**

Chaos ensued in the ruins of our surroundings. Rockets and energy beams rained down from the sky and resulted in devastating explosions. I had overcome my fear of fire ages ago. Fear had to be a thing of the past.

The X-Men evaded the oncoming attacks, but the demolished setting did little for my abilities. Jubilee released a burst of electricity from her hands, erupting a rocket before it could reach us. It was an intense simulation, and the fact of the matter was we were getting our asses handed to us by a program.

The two of us joined up with Colossus and Rogue, and my best friend stood frozen to the spot while our partners ran on. I paused and followed her gaze, finding _Bobby_ and Kitty in an embrace. "Come on," I took Rogue by the elbow and steered her away. We caught up with the others and kept running until we were cornered.

"It's getting closer," Rogue observed worriedly.

"Come on," Storm called, "let's keep moving."

"Hey, Tin Man, come here," Wolverine instructed Colossus. "How's your throwing arm?" The claws popped out from his knuckles.

"Logan, we work as a team," Storm reminded him.

"Yeah, good luck with that," he retorted. "Throw me. Now." Colossus took hold of the man, ready to toss him into the sky like a discus.

"Dammit, Logan, don't do this," Rogue protested.

"It's not like anyone's going to stop him," I pointed out. He flew through the air with a roar, and soon a robotic head landed on the ground in front of us. Its red-lit eyes blinked out a couple times before dying altogether. With that done, Logan walked out from the metal cranium.

He nodded and announced, "Class dismissed." The illusion broke down to reveal the empty simulation chamber. "Hey, Colossus, nice throw."

"Simulation, complete," the automated voice announced as we walked out. Ororo and Logan were having another disagreement while we students went to the rest of our studies.

Months had passed since the events at Alkali Lake, and Scott still mourned as if it had taken place yesterday. I might have been in the same place he was if I hadn't had found something to focus on. I found that focus in the escape of Harrison Page.

"Well, that sucked," I said in the locker room, changing out of the black X-Men uniform and into a nice pair of jeans and a white shirt.

"Tell me about it," Rogue agreed grimly. She was upset, but knowing Rogue, she wouldn't tell me in the locker room where Kitty and Jubilee changed just a few feet away. Instead, I walked with her to the elevator.

"Hey," Bobby greeted, catching up with us before the door closed on him.

"Hi," I greeted awkwardly, noticing that Rogue gave him the same greeting in a very aggravated manner. With the heavy air filling the elevator, none of us spoke. Actually, Rogue seethed, Bobby looked like he was trying to think of something to say, and I considered escaping through the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" Bobby finally asked when the door opened, revealing the hallway.

"I'm fine," Rogue answered sharply. As soon as I could fit through, I squeezed out and ran away. Well, that was awkward. My two best friends were dating, and if problems were to come up, I'd be caught in the middle.

As much as I cared about them, I didn't need that kind of trouble.

I had enough on my plate as it was.

Mr. Fox had designated a woman named Morgan Caine as the head of the department. She handled everything within the branch, or at least that's what it looked like. Meanwhile, at the Institute, I was pulling the strings behind the curtain. Everything went to me, and then, back to Ms. Caine.

Business was booming. Other than mutant studies, the department looked into cancer, extra chromosomes, sickle cell, anything that could be used to help people. Worthington Labs, Yashida Corp, and other pharmaceutical companies looking to incorporate our research into their medicines had approached us.

And while we sorted through that pile of paperwork, there was also the Harrison Page dilemma. Bruce called in thrice every day – morning, noon, and night – to check it. Rachel sent e-mails every week to update me on the formal case.

After the Danger Room session, I used my free period to stay in the dorm and go through the never-ending mail on my computer. Business. Research. Invitation to a dinner with the Worthington. Spam.

I groaned and delved into the world that was my future behind a desk. I barely made a dent in the workload when Professor Xavier's voice rang out, "Thalia, there's a matter I'd like you to be present for. We'll be in my study, and we have a guest."

The impromptu summon saved me from wasting away in front of my computer screen. I left the room almost immediately. I found Logan walking down the same hallway and figured that there was only one reason he'd go down that way.

"Did the professor call you down, too?" I asked, catching up with him.

"What?" he glanced down at me.

"Guess not," I shrugged and continued ahead. When we arrived at the professor's door, I saw the two teachers along with a well-dressed mutant sporting blue hair and skin.

"Who's the fur ball?" Logan asked unceremoniously from the doorframe.

"Hank McCoy," the man announced. "Secretary of Mutant Affairs." I had heard about him. President McKenna's successor had been the one to appoint him. The world was moving forward.

"Right, right. The secretary," Logan moved in at a careless pace, completely unimpressed. "Nice suit."

"Henry this is Logan," Professor Xavier introduced the mountain man quickly. "He's…"

"Wolverine," Mr. McCoy stated. "I hear you're quite an animal."

"Look who's talking," Logan returned to the almost ape-ish mutant. The secretary's expression darkened, and I didn't blame him.

"Ignore him," I advised. "He still needs to be house broken." That remark earned me a scowl from Logan, and what sounded suspiciously like a growl.

"Thalia Wayne," Mr. McCoy acknowledged and shook my hand, "nice to meet you."

"You too," I returned politically, knowing that he wasn't here for just a social visit. Otherwise, I'd still be in my room.

"You know Magneto's going to come get Mystique, right?" Ms. Munroe said continuing where their conversation left off.

"Magneto's not the problem. At least, not our most pressing one," Mr. McCoy answered. I had never thought that I would hear that sentence, and it got better. "A major pharmaceutical company has developed a mutant antibody. A way to suppress the mutant X-gene."

"Suppress?" Logan repeated uncertainly.

"Permanently," Mr. McCoy stated. "They're calling it a cure."

Surprise. That wasn't something I had heard about from Mr. Fox or Ms. Caine. "Well, that's ridiculous," Storm disputed. "You can't cure being a mutant." Technically, it would have been like curing any other hereditary disease, but the last time I checked, mutations weren't cancerous.

"Well, scientifically speaking…" Mr. McCoy started.

"Since when did we become a disease?" Ororo continued in outrage. "How can anybody in their right…"

"Storm," Professor Xavier spoke quietly, and she fell silent, looking to him. "They're announcing it now." I felt sick with disgust. That wasn't what all the work we put into studying mutant origins was meant for.

X-X-X-X

"Who would want this cure?" Storm continued once everyone settled for what would be a long-lasting discussion. It turned out that one of our prospective business partners had been the ones to develop the mutant cure. I realized exactly _why _they wanted to do business with us. Mr. Worthington probably thought that we'd jump at the chance to develop the cure alongside his company. "I mean, what kind of coward would take it just to fit in?"

"Is it cowardice to save oneself from persecution?" Mr. McCoy voiced. "Not all of us can fit in so easily. You don't shed on the furniture."

"The Civil Rights Movement never developed a cure for skin color, Mr. McCoy," I pointed out. "Other races never had to change their appearances, so why should we?"

"Well, for all we know, the government helped cook this up," Logan said, forever distrustful of the government.

"I can assure you the government had nothing to do with this," Mr. McCoy defended.

"Yeah, well, I've heard that before."

"My boy, I have been fighting for mutant rights since before you had claws," Mr. McCoy went hostile.

"Did he just call me boy?" Logan asked Professor Xavier.

At that moment, Rogue walked into the study, excited and hopeful. "Is it true? They can cure us?"

"Yes, Rogue," Professor Xavier confirmed. "It appears to be true." It was the answer Rogue had been looking for this whole time. It's been a year since I met her, and that whole time, her powers never showed any signs of changing. With that cure, she'd be able to touch.

"No. Professor," Ororo disagreed. "They can't cure us. You wanna know why? Because there's nothing to cure. Nothing's wrong with you." She stood and walked to Rogue, turning back to face the rest of us, "Or any of us, for that matter." Making eye contact with each of us, she turned and left the room.

I sighed and pushed my hair back, "This isn't right. It's not what mutants need."

"Mutants need a variety of aid, my dear, for some, this might be the only way," Mr. McCoy reasoned.

"The presence of a cure's only going to call for more persecution, Mr. McCoy," I said, rising and moving to Rogue. " "Why not take the cure? Be human?", "Honey, the cure's going to fix you"," I brought up some responses the cure would be likely to raise. "Why bother accepting people when you can cure them?" With that, I walked out with Rogue following after me.

"Do you really believe that?" she demanded.

"I believe that people need to learn to accept us for who we are and not what we look like or what we can do," I stated firmly.

"Thalia, I'd be able to _touch _Bobby," her words carried so much hope in a cure that wasn't designed _for _her. "You and I could go to the beach or a party, and we wouldn't have to worry about me accidentally bumping into someone."

I turned to face her, and my heart broke at her hope. "They don't want to help _you_, Rogue," I informed her. "If they did, then they'd be out there teaching the world to accept mutants for who we are. Bobby loves you because you're _you_, cure or no cure."

"There's only so much I can take," she sounded so defeated.

I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to touch skin, "I'm sorry."

After parting with Rogue, I walked up to our room, determined to find something about this cure. Of course, none of my resources had anything about it, and it was starting to seem as if I'd have to go straight to Worthington Labs if I wanted to find anything out for myself.

Suddenly, an odd sensation touched my mind, and indistinctive whispers surrounded me. Somewhere in the mix of sounds, I could have sworn that I heard the professor's voice saying Scott's name.

Then, it was gone.

X-X-X-X

"Mr. Fox, this is Thalia Wayne," I spoke into the phone. I had decided that the only person I had to talk to right now was the man in charge.

"I know what you're gonna say," he told me. "I can assure you that nobody here is going to be taking our research to Worthington Labs."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks."

"I saw the announcement earlier. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just concerned. People aren't going to like this." People would rise up to protest the cure. There would be peaceful movements, but I knew that Magneto wouldn't take it lightly. "Be ready for anything, Mr. Fox. I don't know how people are going to react."

"Don't you worry about us, Ms. Wayne. We've got it all under control," he assured me.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

Mutants weren't the only ones who would rise up. With something like a cure, mutant and human relations would experience more tension than ever before. There would be outrage on both sides. Mutants would protest the cure. Humans would despise us and anything associated with us.

The war would be set in motion.

X-X-X-X

It was later when Storm knocked and entered my room with a completely dumbfounded expression on her face. I looked up, and when her eyes met mine, there was so much confusion and sympathy that I had to bring myself off the bed.

"Thalia, it's Jean…"

**_A/N... I'm sorry, sorry, sorry for taking so long T.T But I hope this passes with everyone ^.^ _**

**_Also, I'd like to clarify Thalia's relation to Bruce Wayne. They're distant cousins, but not too distant because I wanted to keep the family fairly small. So... time for family tree making! (Disclaimer: still don't own these people)_**

**_Bruce's grandfather and Thalia's grandfather were siblings, but Thalia's would have been much younger, which would explain the age difference between Bruce and Thalia._**

**_Thomas Wayne (Bruce's dad) and Alice Wayne (Thalia's mom) were first cousins. I hope that helps ^.^_**

**_To Aleiaa, Thank you so much! Happy reading, I hope you're enjoying. _**

**_To hayden, Thanks so much (insert virtual cookie)!_**

**_Thank you to everyone who's following and favoriting as well. You guys are all fantastic. _**

**_Thanks for reading, happy fanfictioning ^.^_**


	10. So Much For Faith

They say seeing is believing, right? Even though she was _right there_, I still didn't believe it. Red hair, black uniform… It was Jean. Her eyes were closed, and it looked like she was sleeping. Professor Xavier and Logan were at her sides, and when I walked in, they looked up.

"Thalia, would you prepare the equipment, please?" Professor Xavier requested. I nodded wordlessly and moved to carry out the actions Jean had taught me before she had seemingly died. An image of her brain appeared on one of the screens, and we were online.

I regulated the equipment, and none of us spoke. The loss of Jean had reached all of us, and we all worked to move past it. Yet, seeing her alive was the one thing nobody had expected. "Professor," I broke the silence, "how is she…?" Alive? Breathing? Not dead? "I felt the water crash, there's no way…"

I had removed the uniform from her body, and there weren't any broken bones. There weren't_ any_ injuries. It was as if she hadn't gone under in the first place.

Professor Xavier was seated with his hands on both sides of her head, probably seeing whatever was going on in there. "The sheer mass of water that collapsed on top of Jean should have obliterated her completely. The only explanation of Jean's survival is that her powers wrapped her in a cocoon of telekinetic energy."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Logan asked.

"Jean Grey is the only class five mutant I've ever encountered, her potential practically limitless. Her mutation is seated in the unconscious part of her mind and therein lay the danger. When she was a girl, I created a series of psychic barriers to isolate her powers from her conscious mind, and as a result, Jean developed a dual personality."

I gaped at the professor, and Logan's expression was just as shocked and disapproving as I felt. "What?" Logan asked, voice dangerously low.

"The conscious Jean, whose powers were always in her control, and the dormant side. A personality that, in our sessions, came to call itself the Phoenix." Logan was pacing the room at this point. I just sat there, watching from in front of the screen, looking down at the woman who had taken such care of me during my time as her student. Professor Xavier continued, "A purely instinctual creature, all desire and joy and rage."

Logan stopped, "She knew all this?"

"It's unclear how much she knew," Professor Xavier replied. "Far more critical is whether the woman in front of us is the Jean Grey we know, or the Phoenix furiously struggling to be free."

Logan circled around to the side opposite of me and looked down at the unconscious woman, "She looks pretty peaceful to me."

"Because I'm keeping her that way. I'm trying to restore the psychic blocks and cage the beast again."

He said it so smoothly, but the words sounded so _wrong_. Coming from Professor Xavier, it was like Jean wasn't the only one with a side I hadn't known.

"What have you done to her?" Logan demanded protectively.

"Logan, you have to understand…"

"You're talking about a person's mind here – about Jean," Logan cut him off sharply.

"She already has another personality in there," I agreed. "What're more barriers going to do to her?"

"She has to be controlled," Professor Xavier said sternly. Was that what he'd resort to when our powers couldn't be controlled? Would he go so far as to force the power back in the rest of us? It was just as bad as the cure, maybe worse.

"Controlled?" Logan repeated with disgust lacing his words.

"She's not an animal! You can't do that."

"Sometimes, when you cage the beast, the beast gets angry," Logan took a couple of threatening steps toward the professor.

"You have no idea," Professor Xavier spoke softly. "You have no idea of what she is capable."

"No, Professor," Logan shot back, "I had no idea what you were capable of."

"I had a terrible choice to make," Professor Xavier defended strongly. "I chose the lesser of two evils."

"It sounds to me like Jean had no choice at all."

"I don't have to explain myself, least of all to you," Professor Xavier said with finality and returned to Jean's mind. Logan stormed out of the lab.

I turned my attention to the professor. I didn't approve of what he was doing, but I wasn't just going to walk out. When he finished whatever it was he was doing, he looked up and saw me watching.

"Thalia, you need to understand that it had to be done."

I shook my head and turned my attention back to Jean's brainwaves and heartbeat on the screen. "Sounds like something _they'd _say," I told him, and I was sure that he knew I meant the humans. The doors opened and closed.

I stayed.

I turned in the chair. It was really her, and she was alive. I walked to her side and looked at the serene face I knew so well, "I've really missed you, Jean."

X-X-X-X

Logan came back in after some time. I wasn't sure how much time had passed. "You okay, kid?" he asked tiredly.

I nodded and wiped off the tears from my face, "Yeah. I... I'll be outside if you need me." He sounded some kind of response, but I was already hurrying away. I wanted to give Logan have his time with Jean like I had, but…I didn't want to go far.

I waited in the hall, and then, I heard glass shattering and metal slamming. "Thalia!" Logan called from inside. "Thalia, get in here!" I moved to the door, but it wouldn't open.

"Logan, what's going on?" I shouted, pounding on the door. Something bad was happening in there. "Logan?" The door still wouldn't open, and then, it occurred to me. "Jean?" I called out. The center of the door disintegrated, and I backed away, jumping when the two pieces of it flew into the wall.

"Jean?" I repeated in horror as the longhaired woman walked out of the lab. She turned and looked at me, but the face wasn't hers. She was angry – angrier than I've ever seen anyone. She looked wild. Then, I was out.

X-X-X-X

The next thing I knew, Ororo was at my side, waking me up. I blinked at the blur in front of me, and my vision cleared. The white haired woman helped me to my feet, and I looked at the professor, "Where is she?"

My eyes drifted from him to the hole in the wall where Jean had torn out the door. Jean. Logan. I stumbled past Storm and the professor towards the door. Ms. Munroe quickly walked into the room while I worked on regaining my footing.

Logan was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Storm rushed to his side. He shot up calling Jean's name.

"What happened?" Storm asked, holding his shoulders.

"What have you done?" Professor Xavier rolled forward.

"I think she killed Scott," Logan said in a rush. I had missed it. In all the excitement, I should have realized it, but I didn't. Of all the people who would have been there to see Jean's return, Scott was nowhere to be found.

"What?" Storm breathed. "That's not possible."

"I warned you," Professor Xavier voiced. "She's left the mansion, but she's trying to block my thoughts. She's so strong. It may be too late."

Professor Xavier anticipated that she would return to the place where it had all began. This time, I wasn't going to stay behind.

"Do you think Magneto's going to be there?" I asked him while Storm and Logan got ready to go.

"Yes," he confirmed, "but this is not the time…"

"This isn't about my dad," I spoke over him angrily. "I'm not staying here, Professor. Jean's out there, and I'm not going to just stay here and wait while you go to get her. I'm sick of waiting."

After a pause, he said, "Alright." The permission struck me off guard for a moment. "You deserve to go with us. I can't do to you what I did to Jean. You have every right to come find her, but Thalia, remember that she is not the woman you knew."

I didn't want to acknowledge that he was right. I just nodded, hoping that, sooner or later, I'd come to accept the facts.

X-X-X-X

We got out of the car in a suburban neighborhood. It looked completely normal, but the mutant woman inside the Grey household turned this peaceful setting into a potential battle zone.

"Wait for me here," Professor Xavier ordered once we were out of the car.

"What?" Logan looked at him in disbelief. He had let me come with them, if I had to stay outside, I'd stay outside.

"I need to see Jean alone," the professor stated. Storm and Logan looked at each other over his head, but I just stared straight ahead at the mutant who had freed Page from prison. I wanted to stop him right there and ask about Page… ask about _John_, but I had told the professor that this wasn't about my father. I'd keep it that way.

"You were right, Charles," Magneto said casually, almost with cheer. "This one is special."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Logan demanded.

"Same as the professor. Visiting an old friend."

"I don't want trouble here," Professor Xavier stated.

"Nor do I, Charles. So, shall we go inside?" The three of us stood and watched the pair of them go into the house. Magneto paused at the muscle builder standing in front of the fence before continuing in. I scanned the faces of the mutants in the lawn, searching for the faces of the two men who had left me under two different circumstances. They weren't there.

Soon after they went in, the gate swung closed and the mailbox rattled. "I'm going in," Logan announced.

Storm put her hand on his arm, "The professor said he'd handle this."

"Give him some time," I agreed.

Some time.

Less than a minute.

The sound of glass crashing spurred Logan to reveal his claws. "That's it." Storm brought herself up into the air, and I stood ready, mentally reaching down below the ground and into the pipes to establish a connection to the water around me.

Logan charged, and the man at the gate knocked him over like a bowling pin. Then, the giant picked him up and threw him in through the window.

Storm spun like a top in the air. She flew towards the house with a tornado forming behind her. One of the mutants standing guard grew quills on his face, and the other stepped forward in preparation for an attack.

The pipes burst under ground, and water tentacles grew from their feet, wrapping around them and throwing them back like dolls. Storm directed a stream of lightning at the girl guarding the door, sending her flying into the house.

I watched as the house lifted off the ground. Debris flew around like comets pulled into orbit around a planet. Water flew upward following the reversed gravity of the house. There was something going on in there.

Then, figures broke through the other window, and the house fell. The house looked like it had completely given up, part of it collapsing in on itself. As soon as it settled, I ran to the bodies that had been thrown through the window.

"Storm! Logan!" I crouched next to them. I healed Storm's injuries and helped her to her feet. When they were both back on their feet, we ran in through the wreckage. The entire house was destroyed. It had been ripped apart, but the only thing that seemed to have not been destroyed was Professor Xavier's wheelchair. There wasn't anyone in sight.

"No," Logan choked. He fell to his knees, "Oh, God."

Ororo cried. It was the first time I had seen either of them so torn up. She walked to Logan and threw her arms around him. Her cries shook her entire body, and I walked to the chair and put my hands on the back of it.

I closed my eyes and swallowed painfully.

Professor Xavier was gone.

Uncle Tom.

Aunt Martha.

Mom.

Jean.

Scott.

Professor Xavier.

So many people were lost. So many great people. It was never going to end.

For the first time in so long, I was drowning and burning all at once.

**_A/N... This chapter was hard to write. I don't know why, but at least I got it done ^.^ _**

**_Reviews are _****_greatly appreciated as motivation and insights to my readers' thoughts._**

**_Thanks for reading ^.^_**

**_Happy fanfictioning ^.^_**


	11. Stand and Fight

We returned to the Institute and left the chair in his study. And we held a funeral.

"We live in an age of darkness," Ororo spoke at the ceremony in front of all of us. "A world full of fear, hate, and intolerance. But in every age, there are those who fight against it. Charles Xavier was born to a world divided. A world he tried to heal. A mission he never saw accomplished. It seems the destiny of great men to see their goals unfulfilled. Charles was more than a leader, more than a teacher. He was a friend."

Her voice broke with emotion, but she continued powerfully, "When we were afraid, he gave us strength. And when we were alone, he gave us a family. He may be gone, but his teachings live on through us, his students. Wherever we may go, we must carry on his vision. And that's a vision of the world united."

We stood, and Rogue was the first to place a white rose on the memorial.

X-X-X-X

I snuck out to the courtyard to have some peace.

The mutant community had lost a great member that day, and I wondered how many more we would have to lose before the dream so many people had worked for could be achieved.

Maybe Magneto and John had the right idea. Professor Xavier had wanted to wait for the humans to realize that we were gifted people, just like them, but what if that never happened?

What if the rest of us would die before that dream could be fulfilled?

The doubts plagued my mind until I couldn't handle thinking about it any longer.

I was heading back to the dorms when I saw them.

The fountain was frozen, and the two of them were skating on the ice. It was Bobby, but the girl wasn't Rogue.

I don't think they saw me, but even if they were just being two friends, that wasn't what it looked like from where I stood.

When I reached my room, Rogue was gone.

X-X-X-X

The next day we gathered in one of the studies. Logan, Ororo, Mr. McCoy, Kitty, Bobby, and I. We had to decide on a course of action. Rogue had gone off, Jean was with Magneto, and the professor was dead. Something had to be done.

"So, what now?" Bobby asked the question on everyone's minds. "What do we do?"

"Professor Xavier started this school," Mr. McCoy answered. "Perhaps it's best that it end with him. We'll have to tell the students that they're going home."

"Most of don't have anywhere to go," Bobby told him. "I can't believe this. I can't believe we're not going to fight for this school."

I couldn't believe it either. If the school closed, then we'd just be targets for the humans. Professor Xavier's dream would die with him. The dream of so many would die.

Nobody else spoke up.

Then, someone walked in. He looked around nervously and spoke, "I'm sorry. I know this is a bad time. I was told that this was a safe place for mutants."

"It was, son," Mr. McCoy answered. His anxiety morphed into disappointment and fear. It was as if he had gone all this way for nothing.

"And it still is," Storm stated, getting to her feet. "We'll find you a room." I grinned. That was more like it. "Hank, tell the students the school stays open."

"Come with me," I said to the new guy. "Welcome to Mutant High." I figured that until arrangements were permanently settled, he could move into the room John used to share with Pete.

"You're Thalia Wayne," he said, following.

"Yeah," I confirmed, tossing a grin back at him. "But when we're fighting out there, they call me Torrent."

"I'm Warren," he introduced himself. "Warren Worthington."

"The third," I completed. "How'd you end up here?" I could have guessed, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. His father had discovered the cure. We might have come from similar lifestyles, but my family would never have done something like that, not while knowing what I was.

"My father wanted me to take the cure," he answered. "I couldn't do it."

I stopped in front of the door and looked back at him. He had a blond hair, a narrow face, and fear swimming in his clear blue eyes. "Good for you," I said with great respect, opening the door for him. "You'll have to put up with the mess for now. Pete's a slob."

He walked in the room and turned around, taking it all in. "It's perfect," he told me, stopping and meeting my eyes.

"It's kind of funny," I chuckled. "If this whole cure thing hadn't come up, our families' companies might've ended up working together."

"We would've met under completely different circumstances," he acknowledged, a ghost of a smile crossed his face.

"I think I like this way better," I told him. This way, I was able to meet the real Warren Worthington III. The one who wasn't under his father's influence.

"Thalia," Bobby spoke up urgently from the door, "I need to find Rogue."

X-X-X-X

"We don't need a cure! We don't need a cure!" the mutant protesters chanted around us. Bobby and I stood in the crowd because it was the closest we could get without either getting in line or being pushed back.

"I don't see her," I told him, straining to see over the crowd.

"Come on," he said and shouldered through the throng of people. Bobby was bigger than me, and he was able to get past them with more ease. I lagged behind but forced myself through.

"Getting the cure so you can go back home to mommy and daddy?" an all too familiar voice sneered. I pushed past the final few people in front of me and came up behind Bobby.

It was him. His hair combed back, but looking less slick than it had when he was with us. He looked at me, and for a moment, I saw John. Just as quickly, I realized that he wasn't John anymore. Not the John I knew. The person looking back at me was Pyro.

"Hey, Princess," he greeted. I looked away from him, back at the line of mutants ready to take the cure.

"We're looking for someone," Bobby told him.

"Oh, I get it," John… Pyro said. "Your girlfriend. I figured she'd want the cure. She's pathetic." Bobby's hand curled into a fist and turned blue. Fire appeared in Pyro's hand. "Come on, Iceman. Make a move," Pyro challenged.

"Is this a friend of yours?" a deeper, older voice spoke. A man put his hands on the boys' shoulders. He smiled at Bobby condescendingly, and then his eyes focused on me.

I looked at the face I only recognized from pictures. His eyes were wide when they looked at me. He blinked a few times as if clearing his eyes. "Hello, Thalia."

"Harrison Page," I stated flatly.

"Yes," he said nodding. "You look like your mother."

"You don't get to talk about her," I hissed. "Not after what you did."

His lips pressed into a tight line when he spoke, "You're right. She would hate me for it… I can see _you _hate me for it… but I don't regret what I did."

I launched myself forward. It was Bobby who stopped me from causing a scene, wrapping his arms around me and holding me back. Pyro's eyes flashed dangerously, and Page's eyes narrowed. "You abandoned me. I was four years old, and you abandoned me."

"Come on, let's go," Bobby said, letting go of me, and steering me away.

"Same old Bobby," Pyro called behind us. "Still afraid of a fight."

"Don't look back," Bobby advised when I tensed.

A stream of fire entered the building and created a blaze so intense that it shattered the windows. The bystanders screamed and ran while we fought against the flow of the crowd. When I looked back, Pyro and Page were gone.

"Thalia?" Bobby came into the room after that fiasco.

"Hostages," I told him, staring at the window. "He took an entire family hostage in exchange for a few thousand from the company. People like him shouldn't be walking around wherever they want."

"We'll get him," Bobby assured me.

Page was a curse, and John was with him. John hadn't been keeping the best company as of late. I shouldn't have been surprised to see them. I had my problems, and Bobby had his.

"We'll find her," I told him.

"But will she be the same?"

"She's still going to be her," I told him firmly. "Powers or no powers." Wasn't that what we wanted the world to understand? Our abilities didn't define us. I would have preferred if Rogue didn't take the cure, but she'd be the same person even without her powers.

I walked past him and down the stairs, seeing Warren lurking while Logan's and Storm's voices faded down the hallway. "Spying?" I questioned.

He looked up like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, "I was just…"

"Hey," I cut him off, "you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm going to catch up with them. I'll see you soon, Warren."

He nodded, and I kept walking.

X-X-X-X

"Can you estimate how many he has?" I heard Mr. McCoy say once he and Logan were in earshot.

"An army. And Jean."

"His powers have limits, hers do not."

That exchange was encouraging. Really. I felt inspired.

"There's only seven of us, Logan," Bobby pointed out. The Wolverine stopped and looked at us.

"Yeah. We're outnumbered," he acknowledged. "I'm not gonna lie to you. But we lost Scott. We lost the professor. If we don't fight now, everything they stood for will die with them. I'm not gonna let that happen. Are you?" Bobby shook his head, and Logan continued, "Then we stand together. X-Men. All of us."

Bobby looked at Kitty, Pete, and me. We gave him our approval. We'd stand and fight. Just like all the great activists before us. We might have been outnumbered, but we would fight.

"We're in."

"Let's go." The doors opened and revealed the jet.

It was the most I had ever been up against. The odds were stacked against us, and it was very possible that we'd fail and die trying.

Up in the air, I knew that everyone was feeling it. The anticipation and fear and thrill that came with the first battle. We all knew what our chances were, and we were all scared.

I knew that none of us were going to run away. No matter how scared we were, this was a fight that we'd be there for.

There were people on the other side who I cared about. People like Jean and John, but they were too far-gone. I _had _lost them at Alkali Lake, and I had lost Page before them both. My vendetta with Page was for peace, Gotham, Bruce, my family, and myself.

We had lost people on our side that believed in a future for all of us. They died believing that the dream wasn't over. They were standing with us. We couldn't let them down. We couldn't let ourselves down.

If we had to fight, then we'd fight.

Night fell when we reached California, and then I saw what they had done.

"They broke the fucking Golden Gate Bridge," I muttered, looking out the window.

X-X-X-X

The jet landed on top of Alcatraz prison. We filed out. Storm was the first one on the scene with lightning shooting into the ground. Beast and Colossus bounded from the roof. Kitty took Bobby and jumped, phasing through the ground. I jumped and levitated down. Logan jumped and sent sparks flying by using his claws to break his fall.

"Everybody get together," Logan ordered us, "and hold this line!"

It was seven of us against an army, but we stood between them and the labs.

Magneto gave the order, and the mutants charged with a collective cry.

I put Logan's training to good use. I hit them where it hurt, kicked them down, threw them into each other. When they were too much, I used my powers. Letting them drop to their knees or throwing them aside.

I flipped over one man's shoulders, and used the momentum to flip and kick him in the back, sending him forward. Bobby had just created a wall of ice, and a bunch of idiots ran into it. "Mind if I borrow that?" I asked him.

"Sure," he shrugged. The ice cracked and shattered, the pieces flew around me like moons. They grew in shape, sharpened down to points, and when I wanted, flew into the oncoming mutants.

Amidst the chaos, I saw them standing above it all with him. John, Jean, and Page were watching with Magneto while we fought. I couldn't see their faces from where I was, but I knew it was them. I didn't dwell on it for too long, there were mutants coming from every direction. I was practically swamped with them.

I shot them down not even counting how many I hit. There was only so much ice that I could use and recover, and before long, I was back to using my powers on them directly.

Then, Magneto started using the big guns. The ground at our feet shook from Page's powers. From the bridge, Magneto raised cars, and Pyro lit them. Orders to take cover rang out around us. The tremors slowed the soldiers down, causing them to lose their footing and fall victim to the deadly rain of blazing vehicles. The cars landed as burning masses, crushing or engulfing anyone who wasn't fast enough to get out of the way.

It was like some sort of twisted fireworks show.

"John always did like to show off," I muttered, steeling myself against the impact.

"Bobby," Logan called sharply, "Think you can take out your old friend?" Bobby nodded and took off. "Lia, whatever daddy issues you've got. Deal with them."

"It's about time," I shouted back at him. Now we would settle things.

Bobby froze one of the cars John lit up, and I sent it flying across the island, gathering the ice off of it as it soared. Pyro wasn't my enemy to fight. Harrison Page was, and he stood with the same stiff-backed posture I had seen from William Earle my entire life.

"I never wanted to fight you, Thalia," he said when we stood facing each other. "_This _is the cause Alice believed in."

No. It wasn't. Fighting and war wasn't the answer she had searched for. The cure wasn't what she had searched for. She wasn't a mutant or a soldier, but she fought the war just like we did. She battled the fear with faith. "No," I contradicted him firmly, chunks of ice floating around me and melting down into water spheres, "I am."

**_A/N... Whoo, cool, we're almost down to the end here. I'm going to put in a break after this Last Stand segment is over, but the story won't be done yet! I plan to write for The Wolverine and Days of Future Past on the next holiday break! I promise! _**

**_Reviews are motivation and love, and I really appreciate the feedback ^.^ _**

**_Thanks to everyone who's reading and keeping up. ^.^_**

Happy fanfictioning. 


	12. Confrontations and Faith

The earth under me dislodged from the ground and lifted into the air. I jumped off, only to be carried up by another piece and another. I shot a bubble of water at him, solidifying it into something as dense as a bowling ball. It hit him in the leg, and he lost his focus. The piece under me collapsed, and I jumped.

Pain burst from my left ankle.

Then, it was gone.

Bits of gravel flew from the fog and embedded themselves like bullets in my shoulder, abdomen, and legs. I groaned and fell to my knees, but my body pushed out the offending rocks and closed the wounds.

I was healing – faster than I had ever healed before, and without exerting focus on my powers.

"The money wasn't supposed to go to the Mob. It was going _through _them. It was going to the mutants, and I would have killed every Homo sapien that got in my way," he said while I got up.

The ground beneath me shot up, throwing me into the sky. I landed painfully on my back, and while the pain faded, the ground at my feet grew up my legs, pulling me down and slowly swallowing me. "You have to understand, Thalia," he continued. "It was for people like us."

If he thought that was forgivable, he was dead wrong. I reached out to the blood in his veins and pushed him back. I gathered moisture from the air around me and broke the earth around me.

I had never despised anyone more than him. He was the very embodiment of everything I fought against – corruption, superiority, and criminality. I might have been a mutant, but I wasn't anything like him.

"I'm not like you."

"You're right," he agreed disappointedly. "You're one of _them._" The ground around us shook and splintered, and a good chunk of the earth rose up into the fog. I wasn't sure how high we were, but something told me that jumping wasn't an option.

"If you're trying to trap me," I said, "you're forgetting one thing."

"And what is that?"

"We're on an island."

I felt like I was drowning – no, not drowning… floating underwater. I felt it all around me, roiling and rising up. The waves built and grew, wrapping around the platform like a cyclone. Water sprayed my skin with mist, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the giant water walls spinning all around us.

"You're a traitor to our cause, Thalia," Page shouted over the roar of water. "You're a mutant. Why protect their cure? Why fight against your own kind? Alice would be ashamed."

"You're a traitor to my family and my city," I said smoothly. Those were the two things my family loved more than anything. My mom valued her home and household even more than her research. If she'd be ashamed of anyone, it was him.

He looked at me then with disappointment and disgust, "You are not my daughter."

"At least we can agree on something," I said and let the ring break into a torrent that pushed him to the edge of the platform. My hand curled and the water cocooned Page. He thrashed against the current engulfing him, but it didn't do him any good. The ground under me shook cracked.

Then, the platform plummeted as Page faded out. A wave the size of a tsunami built up and curved over the prison island. A disc of seawater shot out from the swell, and I jumped onto it. The water washed away Page and the earth that he had brought into the air, and not a single drop of water fell onto the island. The arc moved until it was entirely above the ocean, and then it crashed.

Harrison Page was drowning, but I didn't let him die.

Instead, I drew back the cocoon to let him breathe. Then, I threw him into the bay, tethering him to the bridge with a long, winding chain of gelled seawater, and made a brief mental note to alert the authorities later.

If I didn't forget.

X-X-X-X

I thought it was over. Page trapped in his pod, John was unconscious, and Magneto had become human. The only one left was Jean, but childishly, I still held on to the hope that we could take her home.

The military had another idea.

I saw from a distance as they all fired cure weapons at Jean, and her powers stopped them midair. They broke down into nothingness, and soon, Jean did the same to the soldiers. Everything within yards of her got caught in her telekinetic field.

Beast gave the order for everyone to get out.

Soldiers and mutants alike clambered over rubble to get to the bridge. I saw Kitty and a bald boy running with the crowd. Standing at the end of the bridge, I looked back at Jean, the Phoenix, standing with fire, smoke, and debris surrounding her. She was destroying everything, making it all vanish in thin air.

"Lia!" Kitty shouted, and I looked back at her. She stood with the boy and Bobby, and my two friends called to me with the concern and fear on their faces. Alcatraz looked like hell on earth. Jean was just over there, I saw her at the heart of it all. But there were my friends – Bobby and Kitty – on the bridge, waiting for me.

I looked away and grabbed Kitty's hand, "Keep going!" We ran until the island grew smaller and smaller in size. When we stopped and looked, pillars of water grew up around Alcatraz Island like a perforated wall.

I was with the cure kid. There was no way that was me.

"Thalia?" Bobby said comfortingly.

I didn't need comfort. I needed to go back. I had to see it all the way through. I cast him an apologetic smile, "Keep going, I'll find you guys later."

"Lia!" Bobby shouted when I took off.

I had to go back. This time, I wasn't looking to join the fight. A part of me knew what Logan had to do, and the rest of me knew that I could never have done it myself. Yet, I had to go back… for her.

I saw the pillars lose shape and crash. I was far enough from the kid that I could have gathered a wave to bring me straight to the island, but I didn't.

I ran.

When I saw what was left of the island, I felt mortified. The horror vanished as soon as I laid eyes on Wolverine's form with a red haired woman in his arms.

"Jean," I breathed stumbling over the wreckage in my haste to get to them. Logan cried. Pure anguish sounded in his short breaths and quiet sobs. I reached out and glided my fingertips along her face. "Jean," I repeated, my voice breaking as tears spilled down my face.

She looked as she had when they brought her home. There was a peacefulness death had brought her that she would never have been able to achieve otherwise. The Phoenix died, and with the beast, so did Jean Grey.

All the thoughts that had crossed my mind when I first thought Jean was lost came back to me, and I held her limp hand in mine tightly. "Thank you, Jean," I said shakily, knowing that finally, it was over.

X-X-X-X

The ambulances and authorities were dispatched by the time dawn broke. Harrison Page was apprehended, and I was assured that he'd be locked in a prison that he'd never escape from again. Jean's body was to be returned to the Xavier Institute where she would receive a proper farewell.

I found John receiving medical treatment out of the back of an ambulance. He had been stripped of the gear that allowed him to create fires, and there weren't any flames in sight.

I approached and told the guards that it was fine, and reluctantly, they let me through. "How's your head?" I inquired.

He looked up at me and scoffed, "What do you want, Princess?" Behind that proud exterior he tried to put up, he was defeated. It showed on his face and voice.

"I could heal you," I offered, taking a seat next to him. "It'd make your trip more comfortable." The trip to whatever prison he, Page, and so many others were going to be locked up in for who knows how long.

"I don't need your pity," he practically spit the sentence out.

"At the lake I asked if you were trying to prove that you could be a better mutant than you were a person," I ignored his hostility. "I should have realized then that there is no difference. Had you been a better mutant, you would have been a better person, and vice versa."

"I don't need a lecture," his words lacked vehemence.

"Alright," I submitted with a shrug. It pained me to see the cocky idiot who I had shared evening ice cream with in such a state of defeat, but at the same time, he was different from the boy I had known. "This is good-bye, John. We won't see each other from here on."

A sad and lonely shadow passed his face, but there wasn't an ounce of regret that showed. He looked away, and I nodded. There was a time when I had cared for him, but that time had passed.

John Allerdyce was a criminal, and he'd be treated as one.

With that in mind, I walked away.

X-X-X-X

The graves of Dr. Jean Grey and Scott Summers were constructed next to the memorial of Professor Charles Xavier. The Xavier Institute remained open for all mutants who wished to attend with Ororo Munroe as the new headmistress. Marie D'Ancanto returned to the Institute for the next semester after taking the cure. Dr. Hank McCoy was designated as the United States of America's ambassador to the United Nations.

"It's all coming together," I said, standing in the grass in front of the tombstone. "The world's changing, and people are starting to accept us. We still have a long way to go before humans and mutants start gathering around the campfire together, but who knows? Maybe in a few more years, people won't even think about us being different. The dream's coming true, Mom." I smiled at that thought. After all these years, and all the losses we've all suffered, the dream was becoming real.

It was the dream she never got to see, but it was beautiful.

There were so many others who were so committed to this dream who wouldn't see it take place.

But there were so many of us _now_ who were willing to take up the dream and continue where their predecessors left off.

"Bruce is still running around the Narrows. Sometimes I worry that he'll end up getting into more trouble than we do at the Institute. Alfred's keeping him in check, though. So, don't worry about him too much." I sighed and looked around the Wayne family plot where Uncle Tom and Aunt Martha lay side by side just a few yards away, and I hoped they were watching over him.

"I'm sorry if I'm not the daughter you would have wanted, and the path I'm taking now might not have been the one you wanted for me. But I think I'm doing things right, and I'm not scared anymore."

Why fear drowning when you can will the water to hold you up?  
Why fear burning when you can put the fire out?

I had to make sacrifices, and I would lose the people I cared about. But in the end, it had to mean something. Too many people had already died believing in us, and they were the ones we couldn't let down.

Professor Charles Xavier.

Doctor Jean Gray.

Scott Summers.

Doctor Alice Wayne.

Doctor Thomas Wayne.

They were people who _had_ suffered and _made_ sacrifices for the ones they loved. They were leaders who had begun the ripples of change, and thanks to them, the ripples had become torrents. I had commitments – to the ones who had come and gone before me, to the future, to my team, to my family, and to myself.

"We'll change the world, Mom," I promised, "Bruce and I. We both found things to believe in, and we're going to protect what's important to us. I can't save everyone, but I can try. Maybe I'll live long enough to see the dream come true. If I don't, I'm sure there's going to be someone better than me who'll continue where I left off."

I was stronger, but it wasn't certain that I would survive long enough to finish the job. I'd have to do as much as I could while I was able and hope that when I was gone, there would be someone willing to take my place.

I touched the headstone and placed a white rose on the curve, "I have to go, but I'll be back soon."

Our fight wasn't over yet. There were still so many out there who were alone and scared. We'd find them, bring them to the Institute, and help them overcome their fears. There were still humans who hated us, but they could learn, just like Alice Wayne did. Gotham was still plagued by crooks, and it would take years to show the people that they didn't have to be afraid.

There were good people out there – people like Bruce and Rachel, Alfred and Mr. Fox, Ororo and Logan, Rogue and Bobby. I had faith in the good on Earth.

All we needed to do was stand up and stand together. If we could accomplish something like that, then the possibilities were endless.

**Alice S. Wayne**

**1957-1990**

**Do not fear them because you do not know them**

**Have faith that they will come to know you as friends**

**_A/N... Aw man, so many feelings running through right now._**

That's it for this segment of Fear vs. Faith ^.^ Thanks for all your support, and your reviews are always welcome as I love knowing what you think!  


**_Fear not! This is not the end! The Wolverine segment of Fear vs. Faith will be up when I have another holiday break. _**

**_Until then,  
Happy Fanfictioning ^.^ _**


End file.
